Connect To Fitness Weekly Blog

LIFE Support

2010-01-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

“Cancer never sleeps.”…

As I listened to this heartfelt sentence roll off the tongue of a man speaking on behalf of his wife and her battle with cancer, I felt my throat tighten up and the silence of the moment stab through me like a knife. As the man spoke, his wife’s story unfolded as he choked out each word. Breast cancer was her first battle… “Cancer never sleeps.” Bone Cancer struck second… “Cancer never sleeps.” Brain cancer came next… “Cancer never sleeps.” Liver, kidney, and lung cancer are now her latest diagnosis… Cancer. Doesn’t. Sleep. Listening to him tell her story, I stood beside myself in devastating awe as I came to terms with the realization of passion, strength and courage this man bestowed.

Think of a situation in which you, Faithful Reader, experienced someone you know directly or indirectly suffering through a battle with disease. Recall the helplessness and urgency to find a way out. A way to take away the pain. A way to help FIGHT and defeat the battle.

Each year, each day, each moment, countless people are affected by disease. Each day, hundreds and thousands of people are up against great odds to overcome a never-ending combat that puts them in the middle of life and death. Until we or someone we know is impinged with one of Life’s dark angels, we seldom sit and think about the different things we could be doing to make a difference in the lives of many.

I was reminded of all these feelings and emotions and was influenced by the sense of urgency when I was seated at the ‘Relay For Life’ Kickoff Event held in Boulder City, NV this past Saturday the 23rd of January. Shortly after moving to Las Vegas last year, I remember crystal clear the first day I traversed to Boulder City with Dr. Darian Parker to meet with Marcie Gibson, who is the Fitness Center Supervisor of the City of Boulder City. She is highly involved in Boulder City’s community organizations and events and her passion radiates above and beyond most people I have ever met before. It was during that meeting where we discussed an alliance between the City of Boulder City and Connect To Fitness and how we could develop a helping relationship between Vegas and Boulder City. Both fans of this spectacular small town, Darian and myself couldn’t help but to be extremely excited about becoming more involved with this community and in having an excuse to venture out that way more often.

In meeting with Marcie, we discussed much about the fitness scene in Boulder City and how we can become a part of it. One of the events put on each year is the ‘Relay For Life’ walk in which the entire town gets together and supports this great cause to raise cancer awareness. One of the main objectives (aside from the fact that it’s a worthy cause) that caught our attention was Marcie’s explanation on how the volunteer committee, which is very, very small, work over 24 hours straight to make this event successful. This committee is dedicated to their accountability in making sure the event runs smoothly and in the process they end up volunteering a ton of their time to the cause. It is truly inspiring how dedicated these individuals are in their devotions and that, in itself, piqued my interest and sparked a light from underneath me that had me agreeing to come out and help this May before I could even hesitate to answer. The cause is just too great and they truly don’t have enough helping hands at their events. Although the CTF Team will probably be up for most of this 24 hours as well (setting up, working, and tearing down), knowing we are helping others and that we are contributing to something worthwhile. I also remember thinking how excited I was for the kick-off event after the New Year.

As I drove into Boulder City, I smiled to myself and basked in the sunlight washing over me through the driver’s side window and miraculously watched on as the desert became a small, green town. As I traversed down the 215 and slowed as it turned into Nevada Way, I was once again reminded of the small town I used to live in; Waterford, PA. Driving into Boulder City, you immediately forget about all things ‘Vegas’ as there is no huge or towering buildings, heavy traffic, casinos, flashing lights, or much of anything that stands out in particular. What you see is a historic town that encompasses and preserves its roots and foundation much like Las Vegas treasures and openly invites every new trend and disassociates itself with anything old or out of style. My hometown was much like Boulder City, right down to the one, small, main street of independent small business owners and mom and pop restaurants and shops amongst a sea of modest houses. Although I absolutely LOVE the big city mentality and rapidity of Las Vegas, it is really a great asset to know that if you want to relieve yourself of the city chaos, you can drive a half hour and be in a totally different atmosphere enjoying a completely different and fantastic experience.

As I pulled up to the Boulder Dam Brewery right on this main street, I followed the car in front of me and took a right at the single stop sign to find a parking spot. Having become accustomed to Las Vegas where you will rarely, if ever, find parking right away, I conveniently parked right across the street from the Brew Pub and walked across the 2-lane street and immediately saw the one and only Marcie Gibson (who basically is a one-woman show in running Boulder City’s fitness agenda) turning the same corner I was approaching. After greeting her, we walked together, chatting about what’s new and discussing our excitement about Relay For Life. Approaching the main site of the Event, which was taking place in the outdoor part of the restaurant, I then saw Dr. Darian Parker and his wife, Michelle and ran over and greeted them as well. I walked with Darian over to the registration table and he sat down and began the ‘official’ creation of our Connect To Fitness team. It was a really gratifying moment and it became an affirmation to begin our mission to prepare for the month of May. As Darian signed us up, I looked around and marveled at the beauty around me and reminisced of my own small town.

The event, appropriately called ‘Brewin’ and Stewin’, conjured up a great number of people and it was different to see how everyone knew each other. The chances of running into someone you know in Vegas are slim, but in Boulder City, everyone knows each other by name. Homeade stews and soups lined the tables in back and Darian, Michelle and I passed through the line numerous times to sample and devour the delicious temptations in each Crockpot. From beef, to chicken, to barley, to potato, to macaroni and cheese, to cornbread; there was something for everyone and plenty to go around. As we sat and enjoyed the taste of home-cooking, a few speakers, including Marcie, took center stage up front where the DJ was making noise and spoke on behalf of the event and it’s purpose. As Marcie introduced the rest of her committee (all of about 6 other people), she also reflected as to why they were chosen for their different positions and what inspired them to jump onboard. Each committee member had a specific story on how cancer impacted them directly or indirectly and it reminded me to remember that you never know what someone else is going through. Someone who has, had or will have cancer does or may look exactly like the person next to them who is not affected.

Ranking second in total deaths only after heart disease, cancer claimed nearly 1/3 of total deaths in the United States in 2009, and it is expected that over 1.5 million more cases will arise this year as well (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp?level=0). It is rapidly spreading like fire day by day and the statistics are showing it’s not slowing down anytime soon.

THINK if we had a cure! THINK if you and/or someone you know never again had to be affected. THINK how many more lives may be spared in such an event. Just THINK of the possibilities! The catch? It starts with US and us alone. While listening to that man speak on behalf of his wife, I became suddenly aware of it’s existence in my own life. It has gone through many times in my family, most recently with my own cousin who lost his life battle to this disease just a couple months ago. Knowing that statistically 1 in every 2 men may develop some type of cancer and that 1 in every 3 women may do the same, I feel uncomfortable knowing that statistics aren’t on my side. The number ‘3’ resonates in my mind and as I look around the event at all the attentive faces fixated on the man standing in front of me, I think how much easier and less-painful Life would be and would have been for so many of these individuals who have lived through experience. I think about how unexpectedly it lurks and how anyone in the world is at risk and not safe from cancer’s grasp. As my own eyes well with tears, I am reminded again of how precious the gift of Life is and how walking for a cause like cancer is actually a walk for LIFE. To help maybe get just a little bit closer to finding the cure. I am suddenly filled with honor and with LIFE and I listen intently to someone braver than I know how to be. Knowing how fortunate I am makes me want to be a better person in sharing the gift of LIFE with others. We ALL have so much to give, and to give the gift of volunteering is as gratifying as Life itself.

Come join us as we raise cancer awareness in Boulder City by walking for the Relay For LIFE. Connect To Fitness is dedicated to giving back as much as we have been given and the limits to our existence in both Vegas and beyond is… well… limitLESS. We are but one person. One truth. One Life. But we have the . capacity to make a vast difference together and NOW. Come with us on the walk to everlasting Life and support a great cause while having fun. If you don’t frequent Boulder City too often, take this opportunity and come enjoy a whole new world located just next door to Vegas.

“Cancer never sleeps.”… But one day it will. It all starts with YOU. It all starts right NOW. Let’s walk together and finish strong in the Relay For Life.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Together we can help celebrate more birthdays…”
–Marcie Gibson

“Cancer is a word, not a sentence.”
-John Diamond

“During chemo, you're more tired than you've ever been. It's like a cloud passing over the sun, and suddenly you're out. You don't know how you'll answer the door when your groceries are delivered. But you also find that you're stronger than you've ever been. You're clear. Your mortality is at optimal distance, not up so close that it obscures everything else, but close enough to give you depth perception. Previously, it has taken you weeks, months, or years to discover the meaning of an experience. Now it's instantaneous.”
-Melissa Bank

“The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing.”
-Larry Dossey

“It is in moments of illness that we are compelled to recognize that we live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom, whole worlds apart, who has no knowledge of us and by whom it is impossible to make ourselves understood: our body.”
~Marcel Proust

The Deception of Perception

2010-01-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

This week is Your week, Faithful Reader. I am going to take a break from my own philosophies and share with you a couple amazing thoughts I received this past week from other like-minded individuals. I hope they keep you thinking long after the thought as they did me…

While driving during last week’s Boot Camp at the Professional Fitness InstituteÔ, I was enjoying a great piece of dialogue with my new friend, April, who was in Vegas to spend some time with us before graduating school and becoming a certified personal trainer. During our conversation, she repeated a simple statement said from her grandmother that completely made me think outside of my own box. She said, “If you can spare a penny, you have too much.” Let that thought marinate for a minute before moving on. Sitting there analyzing this thought, I came to realize how incredibly true this is to our everyday lives and how easy it is to take for granted what we have, don’t have and/or need. When we feel like we don’t have anything while letting our desires get the best of us, we need to check our pockets, our purses, and even our couches for those missing pieces of change that we forget we have, but that someone else might treasure. Sure, a penny is useless to you and I for the most part and there really isn’t much in this world we can purchase with a single cent piece. However, envision if each person on Earth took their loose pocket pennies and change and gave them to something or someone who could really use them. If we don’t even realize we have these small treasures to begin with, it won’t hurt us to part ways with them and we will have helped to facilitate a better world. When you give selflessly and without regret to the world around you, the world around you will reward you in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. Don’t take what you have for granted and always appreciate the little things in life that we seldom think twice about. Somewhere, someone is wishing they were in your shoes and praying for a small treasure to help get them there. Give freely and without expectations. I dare you…

During this same conversation with April, I was able to listen in to a second story which really impacted my heart and soul. She alluded back to a day when she and her husband passed a homeless man on the street whom they graciously gave a few dollars to. Nothing substantial, but enough for someone of his stature to do plenty with. A few minutes after the kind exchange between April’s husband and the homeless man, the homeless man called April’s husband back over his way. As he went over, the man thanked him and said, “By the way- my name is John. I just wanted someone to know that.” Just think, Faithful Reader, of how many times you pass a person while you are walking, driving, running errands, and in Life where you make a judgment and immediately put a stereotype to a face without making it a fact to remind yourself that under these stereotypes lies a person. A human being. We are all guilty of it. This particular man just wanted someone to know that underneath his tattered clothes, battered persona, and vulnerability that he was a person with a name and feelings. As she told me this story, I thought back to a million and one instances in my life where I put a name onto someone before ever getting to know them or their story and how awful I would feel if someone were to do the same to me if I was in a disposition or had hit a rough patch. No one deserves to be treated that way regardless of if the problem was related to them or from an outside force. We truly don’t know the full story and need to be cognizant of the labels we use on people. We are all here to lift each other up, not to break each other down or exclude people from Life when they are fully exposed to suffering and vulnerability. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is different than you- and who knows it. Imagine if you were suffering so badly and were so poor that you had to actually go up to strangers and beg them for their goodness and kindness. How prideful would you feel? How much dignity would you feel you possessed? Encompass these thoughts and feelings and revert back to them when you find yourself pre-disposing people to labels. We really don’t know the story or the cause of what caused the individual to be in their disposition to begin with, so why should we, then, be the ones dictating who they are through false accusations? Next time you walk by someone you don’t feel the need to look twice at, look again and think about how you would want the world to empathize with you if you were in their shoes. We should always want and desire to life each other to new heights, not to dismiss someone because they are not as fortunate as us or if they choose to be different than us. Before you choose a stereotype, ask them what their name is. And while you are at it… give them a penny or two.

One of my favorite parts about Boot Camp is at the end of the week when the students all have an opportunity to step in front of the classroom and, essentially, tell their own stories on how they got to where they are today and why they decided to enter into the fitness industry. It is always an emotional time for many reasons, but mostly because I am humbled to the fact that you can never judge a book by it’s cover. Tying in the previous lessons mentioned above… When the students first arrive to Las Vegas, they are (for the most part) eager to begin the week and to become certified personal trainers. When I first began working for PFI, I tended to make my own judgments in trying to decipher what walks of life most of our future trainers came from. One of the things that has (and still) leaves me in utter shock is when I hear the reasons behind the student’s yearning to help others. A big percentage of the students we have the pleasure of working with are in pretty great shape and most of them look like they have never had to struggle a day in their lives to look the way they do. This is something else I take for granted and something I am always humbled to stand corrected about. Extremely humbled. Many times, behind the smiles, confidence and success lies a difficult story that takes raw courage to spill out and share. One thing I have learned is that no matter WHAT it is you see externally, the internal spirit is a hidden gem that is untouched in many individuals and never brought to life because it gets buried in the midst of the exoskeleton. We can be very devious if we choose to be and, many times, just a look of confidence and a great body can be a cover-up in itself. Or you could go the opposite direction and look at someone who may not be in the greatest shape and make a preconceived notion about them as well. I try to do neither as I have found that I am wrong more often than not in making my own assumptions. Some of the most heartfelt and emotional stories I have ever heard have come from some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Some of the most difficult and treacherous moments have stemmed from these individuals who have decided to dedicate their own LIVES in lieu of helping others improve their own. It takes a certain personality to be so bold, and I find most often that the people who decide to embark upon this career field have hit rock bottom at one point or another and had to make the hardest and most detrimental decisions of their lives on going to one extreme or the next to fight for their own lives. The difference between these students and most other people is a simple fact that when forced to see the glass as half empty or half full, they took a risk and saw it as completely full and overflowing. Half just wasn’t enough. It is so easy for us as humans to focus solely on the negative. It’s just easier. We can stand around and pout instead of doing something about it and nothing is stopping us from sitting around and waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the problem to resolve itself. When it doesn’t resolve on it’s own, we find more reasons to be negative and we run circles in spite of ourselves in complaining about something we aren’t being proactive in doing anything to prevent. It takes a person of courage and bravery to step up to the plate and decide to take action. And not only that, but to change the negative situation into a life-altering, positive action to go against all odds and come out on top when everyone else would expect the opposite. THAT is true courage. Learn from this lesson and realize that regardless of what you see on a person externally, each person has been through hardships, loss, struggles, challenges, failures and mistakes. We musn’t ever take for granted another person’s story and we must always be humbled to the fact that everyone has written their own Book of Life. Read through some of their pages before guessing the ending.

In speaking with my great friend, Scott Hopson, I became reminded of one thing we all don’t give enough appreciation to… Silence. Scott brought up an amazing point that silence not only speaks volumes, but it is actually the ONLY universal language in the entire world. Think about it- When do you ever just sit back and actually enjoy and appreciate the silence of the world around you? Do you allow yourself to be encased and enclosed in the silence of the moment on occasion? Personally, I know that it takes me extreme focus to concentrate on silence because I am rarely exposed to it these days. Life sends in commotion as soon as noise ceases to exist and I am truly someone who is guilty of not appreciating the world around me in all its silent glory. I tend to specifically search for noise as I don’t know what it’s like to be without it. I tend to therefore feel the discomfort of the silence because I have become so dependant on hearing sounds to know if I am being productive. Silence is a gift we are given and a gift we so easily throw away or ignore. Regardless of where we go, we are drenched in noise and become dependant on ‘hearing’ Life to know its existence. What we fail to realize is that in silence, we can be at one with the world and with ourselves and it is here where we sometimes find our greatest answers to life’s most ‘impossible’ questions. If we take the time to ‘listen’ to how piercing the silence is, we can then open our ears to receiving the answers the commotion hides from us. With all the language barriers in the world, silence speaks the only language that each and every person can understand. Tell me, Faithful Reader: Is it not true that you can discover how great a partnership between two people is through silence? If you can be comfortable sitting in mere silence right next to someone when there are just no words, you have truly found the deeper meaning behind friendship and relationships. We are very hard-wired to think that we should never have a dull moment with another individual. While this is true by every means, silence is typically put under the domain name of ‘dull’ and is shunned away into a deep corner and looked down upon. However- isn’t it in the silence when in the presence of another when we can truly say we have found ‘comfort’? If you cannot be comfortable in silence and if words are the only means of expression, then are we truly able to say we are completely comfortable with another person? Sometimes silence speaks louder than words and if you take a moment to discover it for yourself, I no doubt believe you will agree with this fact. Experience and enjoy silence. It is a gift in disguise and if we all take a little bit of time to enjoy it, we may just find the answers we have trouble hearing in all our regular commotion.

In essence, there is much to be learned from the simple things in life and many times, the things we are most familiar with and consider to be the most ‘simple’ are actually the most complex facets of life that we simply forget to pay attention to. Give selflessly. Live each day without judgment. Experience the loudness in a bout of silence. And by the way… What is your name?

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“I have learned that some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet are those who have suffered a traumatic event or loss. I admire them for their strength, but most especially for their life gratitude - a gift often taken for granted by the average person in society.”
-Sasha Azevedo

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
-Lao Tzu

“I don't think you ever stop giving. I really don't. I think it's an on-going process. And it's not just about being able to write a check. It's being able to touch somebody's life.”
-Oprah Winfrey

“Silence is the true friend that never betrays.”
-Confucius

“Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation... tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster his ego. His anxiety subsides. His inhuman void spreads monstrously like a gray vegetation.”
- Jean Arp

“In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in an clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

Resolution To An Evolution

2010-01-12T06:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Faithful Reader,

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”… With the New Year upon us, how are planning resolve your resolutions? What mark are you going to leave on the world in 2010?

With 2010 upon us, we need to buckle down and take a look at the big picture. While the New Year should be a time to celebrate and encompass the spirit of the season, it is also a time to gear up, buckle down and open our eyes to the road ahead.

Today is an opportunity and it’s the chance for you to make a difference not only within yourself, but throughout the rest of the world. Look around you. I mean really look around you. Let the world go in slow motion as you view the prevalence of obesity, as you view the ever-growing population of sick, diseased and suffering individuals who don’t know how or where to go for help. This is why you entered into this industry. The people who need our help need it now and WE are going to be the ones who make the most difference in the lives of the millions of people who need our help whether they or WE even know it. How many times a year does a typical person see their family (or other) practitioner? How many times do you go see the doctor a year? A typical response to this question is one, maybe two times. Although most doctors can be effective at leading patients in the right direction, who is going to be there the other 363-364 days of their lives? The answer?... YOU. YOU are the one who needs to step in and take the reins during that time. As trainers and fitness professionals, we see our clients (on average) 1-3 times per WEEK! That is an incredible amount of time to have a profound effect on someone’s life and way of living. And, if you are an outstanding professional (which we are all striving to be, right?), you will make it a point to be even more involved with your clients even after they leave your facility or studio. Our goal is to encompass the person as a whole and to make every aspect of their life better than it was before they came to you.

Most people who are unhealthy have never even experienced what it feels like to feel ‘good’. To ACTUALLY feel ‘good’. If they know (as we do) what being healthy feels like from a mental and physical standpoint, I guarantee they will never return to the way they were. We have to show them what it feels like and we have to inspire them to believe in being healthy and motivate them to make a change to lead a better life. Without you to hold them accountable and to educate them, they have NO ONE. This is YOUR time to step up and vow to give your all to make a difference. 2010 is here and the days are passing by. How they pass by is up to you. Are you going to sit there and watch; waiting for something to happen, or are you going to get up and do SOMETHING? Look around you and let your mind hover around the epidemics plaguing the world. Step outside of the pretty picture and get down to the nitty gritty. THIS is what we are up against, and it is going to take each and every one of us to put a dent into all that has been corrupted, manipulated and destroyed in our industry. Stand with me now.

We are up against monsters, folks, and it is going to be a rocky, bumpy, cloudy and exhausting road. We have to be willing to put up a fight, and a good fight at that. We need to show the world why we DESERVE to be treated with respect. Why we DESERVE to be listened to. Why we DESERVE a flawless reputation. There are so many people who are currently in our industry giving us a bad name right this very moment in time. Right NOW there are 'professionals' sabotaging our name and repelling people from getting the help they need. Because regulations are so lax, almost anyone can be a healthcare provider of some sort. We are looked down upon because of those individuals and our reputation is being sabotaged amongst other healthcare providers. We aren’t taken seriously and we never WILL be unless we band together and do something about it. Why should we let those individuals overtake all that we are working so hard for everyday? We don’t deserve this. The people of the world don’t deserve this. Don’t wait until the damage is irreversible. Get up NOW and do something. Rise with me and raise your torch! Stand shoulder to shoulder with your beliefs and hold your shield before you just high enough so you can still see the light in front of you. The road is going to get dark. It’s going to get scary. But we have one shot. One life. One TIME to get this right. There is no turning back and there is NO stopping. Put one foot in front of the other and keep pushing forward. Make yourself stand out in the crowd. When you see something terribly wrong being done by the person next to you, allow yourself to not give up or be discouraged, but use these times to remind you why it’s so important to be just THAT much better. It is your job. It is your duty. This is your LIFE. We have a lot of slack to make up for, but if we all try ten times harder to make up for one person each, we are making significant progress and we will eventually be able to separate the good from the bad. After that, it’s only a matter of time before the rest is done for us. Let’s make the gap between the GREAT and the not-so-great SO big that people will have no choice but to notice us. If the government and legislation isn’t going to step in and assist us with creating standards, let’s set them ourselves. Let’s raise the bar so high that those who aren’t and never were qualified can’t reach it. Let’s then proceed to keep raising it higher and higher. Let’s, together, hold the bar while we climb our ladders and leave no man behind. Let the ones who don’t take what we do seriously take a seat behind us and let the world label them as ‘followers’ and not ‘professionals’. Let. Us. Lead. There is nothing we can’t do both independent and together to change the stereotype lurking in our midst and in the way of our future. In order for us to progress as an INDUSTRY, we need to make change and we need to do it NOW. Do we plow through ONE man strong or do we march forward TOGETHER one foot in front of the other and force the world to see us in a new light? It is your CHOICE.

2010 is OUR year to make this change last forever. It is OUR year to step up, hold our ground and stand up to the people who have tried so hard to take away our dignity. We are strong and we are even stronger as ONE. We may have to walk in as the minority, but we have voices to be heard that deserve attention. Band with me once and for all and let’s MAKE this change happen. Let’s get up right now and pledge our time as healthcare PROFESSIONALS to making this industry come back around full circle as a force that can’t be touched, brought down, or STOPPED. There is absolutely NOTHING we can’t do if we don’t put our minds to it and we have all the proof in the world that this fact is true, valid and reliable. Many people have gone up against great odds and beat them. We are no different. We are facing a situation here that is bigger than any one of us, but not unattainable for ALL of us. Let 2010 be our ANTHEM. Let us rise against all the tides and all the forces trying to keep us at a standstill. And let’s march. Let’s look the rest of our industry in the eye and demand to be listened to. We were all given talents and gifts that we should be sharing with each other and sharing with the world. Use them! Share them! Learn more about them and IMPLEMENT them into your life. Into your work. Bring them to life! This is YOUR future and we can make it THEIR past.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of seeing people sick and tired. So many people need our help, Faithful Readers, and if we don’t get out there to help them, who will? This is YOUR year, YOUR destiny. The wall in front of us isn’t there to keep us out. Rather it’s there to see how BADLY we want what’s behind it. How hard we are willing to fight to find a way above, around or through it. If we will be persevered through our heart’s will to redeem what so many others are sabotaging, we can make this year a year to go down in history. We can set ourselves apart from the rest by our own actions. By our own endeavors. Why must we stand back and wait for initiative to be taken outside of our industry? We need to work with what we have right now in the present moment and we have to take our own initiative. Time is what stands in our path and the longer we wait, the longer we sit back and wait. What we need is a revolution! We need to be standing when everyone else expects us to fall. We need to collectively band together and stand as ONE. This is YOUR time. Your year. Your life.

Stand with us in Connect To Fitness, and help us FIGHT together for what is rightfully ours. By coming together we can effectively strive in trying to optimize our careers in this industry. 2009 was an incredible success, but it was just the VERY tip of the iceberg. I would like to cordially invite you to join us in the most incredible journey you will ever be a part of. One that is taking over the fitness industry as we know it, beginning in Las Vegas and starting with YOU. Become involved. Walk with us. Become a part of what’s to become the biggest and movement and innovation in the fitness industry as you know it now and how you will know it in the future. If you are truly PASSIONATE about being a healthcare provider, you should feel an undying urgency to do something and to do it now. It’s never too early to come along, but one day… It could be too late.

2010 is OUR year to shine and the things we have planned to bring to YOU, Faithful Reader, and to the rest of the industry are beyond the longest stretch of the imagination and are completely unfathomable. Don’t sit back or make yourself unseen any longer. Now it THE time. This is IT! You may not get another chance in this lifetime… Make today the first day of the rest of your life….

You have the opportunity to make a difference starting NOW. How do you want to be remembered and how do you want to look back on your own life story? Don’t stand still. ACT. Don’t just act. RESOLVE. And don’t stop there... EVOLVE.

Get ready 2010… Connect To Fitness can’t be stopped.

“'Where there is a will there is a way'.' is an old true saying. He who resolves upon doing a thing, by that very resolution often scales the barriers to it, and secures its achievement. To think we are able, is almost to be so/to determine upon attainment is frequently attainment itself.”
-Samuel Smiles

“I am in earnest. I will not equivocate. I will not excuse. I will not retreat a single inch and I WILL be heard.”
-William Lloyd Garrison

“Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire. Threaten the threat'ner, and outface the brow Of bragging horror. So shall inferior eyes, That borrow their behaviors from the great, Grow great by your example and put on The dauntless spirit of resolution.”
-William Shakespeare

“Either I will find a way, or I will make one.”
-Philip Sidney

“You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world, and you will be something. "I cannot," never accomplished anything; "I will try," has wrought wonders.
-J. Hawes

“There is no impossibility to him who stands prepared to conquer every hazard. The fearful are the failing.”
-Sarah J. Hale

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.”
-G.B. Shaw

“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”
-Buddhist Saying

Believing Is Seeing

2009-12-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

“When you're young, you don't know what you don't know, so it's easier to get into that magical thing.”… Remember how magical the Holiday season was as a child and how our imaginations took hold of the rope of life to create moments when anything was possible? Why is it that when we ‘grow up’, we stop ‘believing’ that something greater than us can make our dreams come true?

As a kid growing up, I remember how incredibly magical each day was. The school year lasted decades upon decades, and summer vacation somehow seemed to last forever as well. Time had no meaning, and things like the Holidays were a really big deal. All year long, in the back of my mind was the fact that Santa was always watching and that I ought to behave myself. Of course, being a kid, I didn’t always follow this philosophy to the best of my ability, but when I messed up, I immediately felt reprimanded in that I knew Santa would NEVER approve. Originally from Erie, PA, the Holiday Season began as soon as it started to snow, and by Christmas, there was always enough snow to go around and enough to make you despise the stuff. All else aside, it was also absolutely magical as it meant that a whole wide YEAR of waiting was going to pay off for that one day of the impossible made possible.

Getting ready to leave to go to my Grandparents house overnight on Christmas Eve, we would meticulously set out cookies and milk and wouldn’t even take into consideration that Santa might possibly be really, really full and bloated from eating the other millions and trajillions of cookies laid out for him. Or even that he may be lactose intolerant, as a good percentage of the world today has some sort of intolerance to dairy. Nope! None of this mattered. Why? Because as children we don’t think about those technicalities. All that was ever taken into consideration was the small world we knew and lived in and there were no second thoughts or oppositions to behold. The magic of the season arose not only in the array of gifts under the tree, but also in the belief that something bigger than the stretch of the imagination existed and we didn’t have to see it to believe it. We just KNEW. And sure enough, every year at Christmas, the excitement and anticipation would build up to mass exhilaration and our world as we knew it was encompassed and embellished by the ‘impossible’.

I remember coming home Christmas Day each year and stepping foot into my house. I would always get goosebumps and a blood pressure spike on the never-ending walk to the living room. Although I knew (I just knew!) that the gifts were going to be placed beautifully and artfully under the tree, it was the climax of an entire year of built-up belief and pure imagination that sent me into a full-on frenzy. With my brother and sisters in toe, we would all creep over to the living room and slowly look around the corner to see what we had been waiting for all YEAR! It was so exciting, in fact, that none of us would actually be the first ones to walk into the living room. It was as if the magic made a secret aura around the room, and we needed permission to walk into it. The pure intensity of such a stimulating moment always made my mouth ache at the sides from smiling so big, but I didn’t care, and even if I did… I still couldn’t stop smiling. And, wait! The cookies! Did he eat them? Being the little, caring girl I was, I just knew that he would be super hungry after traveling in that snow. The long drives in the snow made ME hungry, so, naturally, I just knew that Santa would be just famished after his own travels. Plus, he was a pretty big guy, and he just LOOKED hungry. Each year, I was always so happy to see that Santa did, indeed, like the cookies and I assumed that he must have snacked while bringing in the presents through the front door. We didn’t have a chimney, so he (again, naturally!) had to use the door like everyone else. Christmas Day was almost too much to handle sometimes and the magic would last for weeks on end after each year’s celebration. Once those few weeks were over, absorbed and fully cherished, it was time to start gearing up for next year. The ‘impossible’ was real and my belief in something I didn't have to see drove me to see each element of my life in a new light. I didn't have to see Santa to 'know' that he was real, nor did I care to see him. The belief I instilled into his being was enough to influence me for the rest of those years and to consider my actions (...or at least consider them AFTER I had committed the crime), and to take my future into an account without question. In essence, a child's belief is actually quite wise to an extent as it creates a foundation for dreams. It creates wonderment and the curiosity to explore things beyond anything they can hold, touch or prove in a tangible sense. A child doesn't need to know something exists by simply seeing it. They 'see' things by believing in them and the rest creates itself. Imagine if we all were able to take even a little bit of this amusement and wonderment without question with us into 'adult'hood. What would your world consist of?

Think about this… If money, other people, and time weren’t objective, what would you aspire to do? What would change about the beliefs you have right now and your perception of life? Take a moment, close your eyes and just envision something you have always viewed as ‘impossible’. Imagine what it would feel like to you if you were to aspire to meet this unimaginable endeavor.

1. How would your life change or be different?
2. What would improve or worsen?
3. What would you have to sacrifice to get there?
4. What is the worst thing that could happen on your journey and what steps could you take to prevent this from happening?
5. How would your feelings about yourself and/or your life change?
6. What is holding you back?

Really take in your answers. This is just a taste of what you could have if you believed it was really a possibility and if you are willing to commit to admit to these answers. When you are timid to believe in not ‘seeing’ the end result with your eyes, sometimes having it written in front of you serves as that tangible evidence needed to ease the mind and heart. Not everything in life is as it seems and we often precipitate things to be UNbelievable when, in fact, our only culprit is most often ourselves. By knowing the risks involved in accomplishing anything, we tend to sit back and instill our belief into Life making things happen for us. Life can open up the door for us, but WE are the only ones who can walk through it. If you don’t open your eyes to believing the door is in front of you, you will sit and wait for something to happen that never will. What we fail to realize is that it’s not what we ‘see’ with our own eyes that holds our aspirations. Rather, it’s our dreams and our belief in our dreams that propels us to actually accomplish them. Live for your dreams without second-guessing the consequences. Your heart and subconscious already know the answers. Believe in yourself and believe that you deserve to be happy in your life. Keep your goals close to your heart and incorporate the things you do daily to support your ambitions. Why should the Holidays only come once a year?

Return to a day when you were a child at Christmas or another special time, and just encompass and feel the magic of the moment. Believe in yourself and let your mind wander to explore the things you never thought possible. Let yourself be inspired by the thought and feeling and allow your actions to follow close behind. Maybe believing in Santa isn’t so unbelievable after all…

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
-Anatole France

"Don't let go of your dreams. If you have determination and belief in your dreams, you will succeed in spite of your desire to let go."
-Catherine Pulsifer

“Some things have to be believed to be seen.”
-Ralph Hodgson

"The Performance of a Lifetime"

2009-12-21T06:37:00.001-08:00

I stood there, staring ahead without blinking as my heart pulsated through my chest and into the overwhelming silence. Taking a deep breath and savoring it, time ceased to exist as my gaze traveled from the space below to straight ahead where the plush fabric of the curtain stood only feet in front of me. Raising my chin just a little bit higher, the moment departed in slow motion as the curtains opened, slowly revealing the vivid spotlight and my stomach filled with wild butterflies. This was it…

For many years of my life, a big passion of mine was in the performing arts. Having been a singer ever since I can remember, my passion evolved into theatre, on a high school, community and collegiate level, singing the National Anthem at school and community events, voice lessons and writing and performing my own music, dancing to being a dance instructor, as well as being a former trumpet and guitar player. Music was something that gave me purpose and what I loved about it was that it didn’t have an ‘answer’ like most other subjects. No two people in the world will have identical views and preferences on music, and that’s the point. It allows you to be creative both mentally and physically and each performance is different than the last, even if it’s the same show played numerous times.

Dedicating countless hours to one show, song or dance, I always felt the biggest adrenaline rush in the world when the moment arrived to share the outcome of all those hours with other people. Being up on stage or in front of an audience was a challenge that kept me humble and very much so on my toes each day. After a performance, you suddenly don’t feel so afraid of anything life brings and the satisfactory ‘high’ after such an adrenaline rush would oftentimes last for weeks. Going into a production, you know you are going to be spending almost everyday of your time for at least a few months to ‘become’ the part you need to play. Each person on set or in a number has a specific objective to follow and obey and until each piece of the puzzle flows together, there would never be an opening night nor would there be the actual show itself. Although each person involved has a different character, choreography, voice, personality, and wardrobe, it is only together that the show can go on and it takes the entire cast to make it appear flawless. One of my favorite parts of performing was the relationships you would take with you in the end. After spending so much time working together towards a common goal for so many countless hours to successfully pull off what you have worked so hard for, you end up establishing a ‘trust’ in those people due to the heavy reliance on them pulling their weight.

Aside from making the actual production itself a success, the most challenging endeavor in performing in theatre is the initial audition to actually make the cut and have the opportunity to step on stage. Sometimes auditions in themselves can make or break a person down emotionally regardless of how well they do on stage. When you want anything bad enough there is a tremendous amount of pressure to do well and some people crack while others thrive. One of the things auditioning did was toughen me up for the real world of actual job interviews where I taught myself to look forward to the experience instead of fear it. One of the things we tend to forget sometimes is that the director or employer is (most of the time) just as nervous as we are. I mean think about it… Without great people to fill the empty shoes, there IS no play and there IS no business to be operated efficiently without employees. We put so much pressure on ourselves when we should be looking forward to having the opportunity to create the success the interviewer is striving for. Interviewing in itself is actually quite honoring when you really think about it. It’s a great challenge to attack in that you get one shot to make someone believe in you as much as you believe in yourself. But herein lies the problem… We don’t all believe in ourselves.

It may sound like an odd comparison, but as professionals in the health, wellness and fitness industry, aren’t we essentially ‘performing’ each day? Really take a moment to think about it… Each day and each person we come in contact with, we are playing a little piece of their puzzle. It is our job to be who they need us to be to help them reach their goals. If you aren’t able to be that person, they will ‘fire’ you and leave either to fear training or to find another trainer. We become both the director and the performer in our art of personal training and if we can’t adapt to different scripts, scenarios, personality types, situations, environments and conditions, our own production will never happen and the end product will cease to exist.

During an initial interview with a new client, essentially we are testing out the waters and seeing if we will be a good fit for our potential client and vice-versa. Your objective is to see if you can both work together efficiently and be compatible throughout a specific, or less structured duration of time to accomplish a final outcome or ‘production’, if you will. After establishing compatibility, you now have to build trust in each other over time and you, as the professional, have to be willing to guide the client in the right direction by following the script you have taken careful time to map out for them. We see the final outcome of our plans as we are the creators of it. We are able to visualize and express our expectations and teach the client how to get better at playing the new part of living a healthy lifestyle that they auditioned for and are trying to get used to. You, as the ‘director’, have to have confidence in your vision and have to be willing to guide the client into playing the part written for them. You have to carefully guide them into adjusting to their new part and you have to get them to believe they can become this person in order for the show to be authentic. They have to be able to convince themselves that this new roll of exercise and healthy living is right for them. If you aren’t able to teach them proper form, technique, habits, and about healthy living in general, they will remain and stand by their old habits and who they were before they walked into your realm. This is a very, very powerful role to possess and one that many people tend to take for granted more often than not. Think about the first time you ever stepped foot into a gym or your first soccer practice, or even the first time you went on stage. It is awkward to do something you have never done and it takes time to train your body and mind to accept, become familiarized and, most importantly, become comfortable with the lifestyle adjustment.

But you also, as the professional, get to do a little acting and performing yourself as your attitude, persistence and personality must blend fully to match your client and meet them halfway. One thing they don’t teach you in school no matter how many years and credits you obtain is how to actually interact with another person and make yourself fit the mold they need filled. Although YOU are the director, you also have to know how to treat each performer as everyone is different and everyone responds differently to different stimuli. This is why both music and fitness are forms of ART. There is no one answer to any equation or any one ‘right’ answer. If you sit in a room and ask 100 trainers the same question about what they would do to design a program for the same client, not a single one of them would deliver the same exact answer. Would it not be the same if you were to ask 100 musicians to write a song? Just like music, fitness is ever-changing and constantly evolving. If we stick to one idea or one belief forever without keeping up with the latest trends, we will never survive in being truly successful in our art. You need to expand your heart and mind to explore new horizons and accept change because if you don’t, you will be phased out of this industry immediately. Directors in film aren’t still using the same equipment or ‘technology’ that was used when film was first invented, musicians have evolved tremendously over time to create new sound, and YOU need to do the same if Success is to collaborate with you in the future. Having an open mind in the industry could mean the difference between the life or death of your career and regardless of if you ‘like’ doing something in particular, are biased to certain things, or just simply have personal preferences, you NEED to evolve with the changes happening around you and incorporate them into your art. Even though many ends have been tied up in the Land of Science, there is still so much ground to cover and so many discoveries to unfold before our eyes and if you happen to close your eyes and shut off your mind to acclimate to your surroundings, you will fall short of reaching your own goals and will have a challenging time working with people who are interested in the evolutions of fitness. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in any art form and there never will be. What your client wants is more important than what you ‘prefer’ to want to do or are biased towards. You must be WHO your client wants you to be and you must never forget that without THEM, you will never have a blockbuster, number one hit or career.

Perform your best each day on the job by always having more energy and enthusiasm than your client, even if you have been working nine hours in a row. When you are in session, you are playing the part of the ‘trainer’. You must play the part outstandingly each hour of your day and change yourself to fit the needs and wants of your client. You must script a new program for each person who crosses your path and you must take them by the hand and guide them to be the best performer they can be in the role they auditioned for. Don’t just play the part, BE the part. We are the directors and performers and must lead our industry TOGETHER to create the performance of a lifetime. Alone we are one piece of the play... Together we will change the world.

As the audience stood up and roared with searing applause, the curtains drew themselves to meet back in the middle of the stage where the vast illumination of the spotlight narrowed exponentially until the tiny sliver of light disappeared completely. I instantly drew in a deep breath as my stage ‘character’ flowed out of my body and mind on the exhale to return me to the present. As my client walked through the door smiling, I found myself smiling too, knowing I just gave the performance of a lifetime.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Act the part; walk and talk exactly as if you were already the person you want to be.”
-Brian Tracy

"When ever you don't feel like working hard, someone, somewhere else is, and when you meet them, they will have the edge."
-Unknown

“A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time has no relevance.”
-Dario Fo

“The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it's dead for you.”
-Oscar Wilde

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
-Albert Einstein

Being Vulnerable to Vulnerability

2009-12-14T12:49:00.001-08:00

“GOOOOODMORNING!!! One morrrre dayyyy!!!”… This is the sound on my voicemail at exactly 5:30 in the morning from my best friend in Kansas City, Casey Arnold, who just couldn’t wait to tell me how excited she was to fly in for the next week to work Boot Camp at the Professional Fitness Institute… What are friends for, right?

Living in Las Vegas for a lot of people can be extremely overwhelming and, at times, way too much fun. It’s a huge city where anything goes, and where you really have to accept that you will be exposed to just about everything and anything, regardless of whether or not you go out of your way for it. It is a land of opportunity as it is a city that thrives off trends and in always making things bigger, better, faster and stronger than the rest of the world. Because of the magnitude and charade of people and places here, many people can’t resist Vegas’s many temptations and from one extreme to the next, it truly isn’t a place for the faint at heart.

I feel fortunate to be in an industry where it hasn’t been too much of a struggle to find those individuals in the area who truly have the world’s best intentions at heart. Although my own intentions for moving out to Vegas were work and opportunity related, living in a big city is a new experience for me and I know that it can at times be extremely discouraging trying to find like-minded individuals who share your same morals and who you can develop a lasting relationship with when you know absolutely nothing about them going in. Upon first moving to Las Vegas, I had known a select few individuals whom I had connected with previously and was very content in knowing because they were people whom I had learned to greatly respect, look up to, and appreciate more than words can explain. Since the actual move itself, I have been incredibly blessed to meet and work with some of the most amazing professionals in the industry and some of the most humble and big-hearted people imaginable who are always doing everything under the sun for everyone around them… myself included.

Each month, I have the great opportunity to devote almost an entire week to instructing Boot Camp at the Professional Fitness Institute where working over 80 hours in 6 days is completely normal and you get to spend each of these days submerged in a different experience each time with different people. Although each Boot Camp is a new adventure to behold and relish, the one thing that remains constant is spending each of these hours and days with my ‘family’ of best friends, who also do a great job posing as co-workers. Each day of Boot Camp, it is our job to work together to find a way to make sure each of these crazy days goes according to plan and to always be there to back each other up and to push each other forward. Although it is the student’s time to shine, it is a big part of our job to help show them the light. I remember the first time meeting each of my co-workers and I remember how challenging it was at first to become accustomed to working such long days so many days in a row and in getting used to working so closely with people whom I was still getting to know. I remember fighting with fatigue (although this still happens on occasion!), and I remember the first time I ever gave a lecture in front of a group of our students. Most importantly, I remember the people who were there to back me up through each hardship, accomplishment, and experience, and whose presence has helped me to become a better person. Without these individuals who were and still are willing to open their hearts and arms to me, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

When you are working so closely with people so many hours of the day, you really have no room to hide any flaws. You can’t go home during the day to shake off a trouble or a ‘bad’ day, you have to stick it out and find ways to brush it off and deal with it after you are off the clock. Being vulnerable is something that puts everyone out of their comfort zone, and vulnerability is one of the most difficult things to share with people as it makes you susceptible to ‘weakness’. What we often don’t realize, however, is that our natural strengths aren’t always what make us ‘strong’, and that oftentimes it is in overcoming our ‘weaknesses’ that create the strength we can use to grow as individuals. Strength can only be found in any facet in life through an ‘obstacle’ or a challenge. One isn’t born strong, but gains strength through experience, hardships, overcoming negativity or a negative situation and in facing Fear head-on. This is also a great test of the strength of a friendship or relationship as only those who truly have your best intentions in mind will be there to catch you when you fall and help guide you back on your toes. So often we believe it is the opposite and that vulnerability makes us ‘weak’, but it’s really amazing what you can find out about yourself and others when something less than desirable happens in life. Working with these incredible individuals has truly taught me the value of true friendship and the true meanings of encouragement, support, motivation and how important it is to surround yourself with the right people when you are making transitions and attempting to grow as a person in any way, shape or form.

As each month goes on, I get more and more eager to work with and spend time with my ‘family’ of Professional Trainers, and the days don’t seem quite as long when you are around those people you love and when you know you are doing something to progress not just yourself and your own endeavors, but when you are making a difference in the lives of other people as well. Although I am a work in progress and am no where near where my aspirations lie, I have grown so much over a short period simply by being around the people who have helped guide me in my journey to help me reach and accomplish my goals and who have been there for me in the midst of all the hardships, troubles, joys, triumphs and successions I have gone through. And they have done it earnestly and without judgment or bias.

One of the things we have to remember as trainers and healthcare professionals and providers is that each of our clients are going to be coming to us with less-than-greater belief in themselves or in their competence in accomplishing their goals. If they felt satisfied or that they could accomplish their goals on their own, they wouldn’t have any desire to seek you and/or your services. The fact that they even step one foot into a facility to get help speaks volumes already regarding the fact that whatever they are doing outside of your doors just isn’t working. Admitting vulnerability isn’t something people typically do naturally unless provoked by something in their lives and it is especially rare for someone to openly admit vulnerability to a complete stranger, which is essentially what each potential client is doing when taking that step into a new facility or environment. We have to look at these situations and revert back to a time when we, ourselves, had to step into an unknown situation and be fostered by gaining experience and guidance through vulnerability. As a plant cannot grow without water, we cannot grow either personally or professionally by standing still. Our clients are no different in this way. We all had to start where we were standing in each of our own life’s endeavors and without putting one foot in front of the other, we would never have gotten from point A to point B by any stretch of the imagination. We have to put ourselves out there and reach out to receive the guidance of someone or something else, whether it’s through someone directly in front of you or through other viable resources you have access to in regards to your chosen venture. As human beings, we naturally gravitate towards making great first impressions and in showing ourselves in our greatest light when meeting someone for the first time. Our clients will be coming to us many times broken down, frustrated, depressed, sick, unhealthy, unmotivated, lacking confidence, and the list goes on. They are going to be feeling their worst and they are going to be afraid and fearful of where they are now, who they may be now, and where the road ahead may take them. We have to be willing to lift them up to help them find and discover their inner strength, beauty and confidence and help them to find their path to greatness to be the best they can be. You ARE their motivation, their savior, their inspiration, their leader, their therapist and their friend and confident.

Moving was, and still is, a humbling experience to me because it forced me out of my comfort zone and to admit that I needed help. Reaching out to people 3,000 miles cross-country was at times really difficult, but I was able to step my foot into the right doors to let the right people know that I really needed them to help me.

One of the other things my move humbled me to was the two extremes of being completely terrified and being completely excited to begin a new life. On one hand, it was the most excitement I had ever felt as it was beyond intense to know I was uprooting everything I had come to know as ‘comfortable’ and ‘home’ to be somewhere completely foreign and far from where I was prior. On the other hand, because this was such a change and because it opposed everything I had known up until the moment I moved, it was equally terrifying venturing into the ‘unknown’. One of the things I had to realize quickly was that success is NOT comfortable. It’s not meant to be. If it were, there would be no holding one-self back from taking risks, and more people would be taking action. This, however, isn’t the case, because it’s not our natural and desirable state to strive to be uncomfortable. We are creatures of habit, routine and COMFORT and we naturally fear stepping out of the box. Success isn’t easy and you will fall more times than you find yourself standing, however, the outcome for perseverance is always, always success and all it takes is that ONE single time for all the pieces to fall into place and for all the stars to align themselves. Our clients and patients will be experiencing the same things. They are stepping into OUR comfort zone and out of their own. They are taking a risk and are excited and terrified all at once. Making-over your life isn’t something that happens overnight and the thought of hard work over a lifetime can, in itself, be pretty intimidating at times. We must never forget our own struggles and should use these experiences to humble ourselves into understanding and empathizing with those who are at a crossroad and who are teetering on both extremes of excitement and terror. Never allow yourself to get too comfortable yourself. Step into the shoes of people in all walks of life and let them know you are there for them and not against them. Compassion, understanding, belief, motivation and support are KEY to success in this industry. Help them to see the light and train them to keep their eye on it at all times. Starting from the bottom and working your way to the top is never an easy challenge to conquer.

Remember where you started and never forget where you began. Be humble and recognize the time to be vulnerable and to encourage and embrace vulnerability in both yourself and others. Your own success might depend on it.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.”
- Danny Kaye

“Example sheds a genial ray which men are apt to borrow, so first improve yourself today, and then your friends tomorrow.”
-Anonymous

“The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others will wish to join us.”
- Hubert Humphrey, U.S. vice president, senator

“Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity; not a threat.”
-Prince Philip of England

"I understand now that the vulnerability I've always felt is the greatest strength a person can have. You can't experience life without feeling life. What I've learned is that being vulnerable to somebody you love is not a weakness, it's a strength."
-Elisabeth Shue

The Injustice of Time

2009-11-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Sit still. Don’t move. Don’t think about the past or future. Forget about all that needs done and focus on the here and now…. Just (Inhale…). Breathe(…Exhale).

Having hardly rested in days and having just got off work from the early morning, I was on my way to my second business meeting of the week, and had about an hour and half before I had to be clocked-in at my next job to close. Then, after work later that night, I knew I had a ton of work to get done on my computer. The clock was ticking and I could have sworn it was ticking synonymously with my heart. As I looked out my window at the line of cars in front of me and the traffic light still on red, I realized that in that exact moment in time, I was forgetting something quintessential to life and to the journey I was on. I was so focused on the final outcome, deadlines and time constraints that I was forgetting to stop, stand still, and enjoy the moment.

Life as we know it stops for no one. It doesn’t cater to our deadlines, nor does it care if we overload our schedule and miss out on getting adequate rest. It has its own agenda, and we are just along for the ride catering to It. Time is selfish and doesn’t allow us to press pause whenever we might need a time-out. Time is elusive and presents us with the gift of present each and every second with no intervention. How we choose to value this time is up to us, for it is going to pass regardless of our deepest thoughts or desires. Time is our foundation, our platform, and if we are to live to be the best we can be, we need to take full advantage of each moment we are given and never feel that we have to look back longing for more. We just, simply, don’t have enough time for that.

Sometimes it can be easy to take time for granted because it is something we adapt to and something we build each day of our lives around. When we begin to take Time into consideration and really realize and accept that it truly isn’t for or against us, we can live each day appreciating the process of time versus wanting to jump too far ahead or behind the 'here and now'. If there’s one thing Time doesn’t care about it’s... how we spend ours.

That busy day, I found myself unappreciative to what I was being given at that present moment. I had just got out of a job that I absolutely love, was going on an amazing business meeting, was going back to another job I love just as much as the first, and later I was to work on a couple projects I had made the decision to do because they supported my future endeavors and because I enjoyed doing them. I had put time against me instead of realizing that time just exists and that it is the same for everyone.

That same day right around this same time, I had received a text from my good friend, Daniel Howell, who was out of town visiting his grandfather. If there is one thing I always gain from Daniel, it’s inspiration. He is one of the hardest workers I have ever met and sometimes when I see all that he does, I get a new perspective and jump-start on my own life. As a Licensed Massage Therapist, a Registered Dietitian, AND a Certified Personal Trainer for both is own business (Triple Threat Wellness) as well as operating out of different facilities all around Vegas, Daniel is always, always on the go. His work ethic is exceptional and anyone around him can voucher that you can always learn something new from being around him. This day, Daniel wasn’t working and was instead spending time, out of town, with his grandfather who is older and retired. His text just simply alluded to the fact that it was a nice change of pace to just take a step back and enjoy living life at a different pace, in a different light than the chaos he is used to. In this case, it was his grandfather’s. When you are constantly on the go, you get into a routine of being constantly on the go and both your mind and body can’t comprehend the true meaning of ‘stopping to smell the roses’. There is really no such thing as a 'day off' for people like Daniel, and I find myself falling into that trap sometimes as well.

Being in the fitness industry or any industry involving art (music, acting, theatre, etc.) and making a career out of it is a huge risk to partake in, a lot of work, and (best of all) a huge reward when done right. I feel blessed everyday to be able to do what I love as my ‘career’. It rarely feels like ‘work’ (even with time constraints) because it is something I fully enjoy doing. When you are submerged daily in your greatest passions, you don’t and can’t really separate yourself from work like most people aspire to do because your ‘work’ is, essentially, YOU and not... well… ‘work’. I find a common ground between like-minded people in this profession where you truly work so much doing what you love for the sake of other people that it can be too easy to lose track of putting some of that focus back into yourself to do something you enjoy outside of work. In regards to myself, I forget I am working because (and this is the honest truth) even if I wasn’t getting paid for what I do, I would still be doing it any spare second I could get. It’s just not an option in my mind, nor will it ever be. A part of me feels selfish already for insisting on being persistent in making fitness my life and not settling for anything less, and I find that when I actually get a day ‘off’, I don’t know what to do with myself or my time because it is such a big part of me that I cannot separate myself from it and end up ‘working’ anyways. The fine line between work and play can be extremely conflicting, and although this doesn’t sound like such a bad thing (and believe me...it’s not!), you can’t give more than you have or have been given. One of my friends said it best in that, “Sometimes you have to be selfISH in order to be selfLESS.” I never really valued this until I heard it put in this manner, and it truly is something to think about and to live by. Even when you love what you do everyday, it is still important to do something for YOU once and a while. It’s important to give to yourself just as much as you give to others and to be receptive when others try to give to you. If this means doing something completely un-work related, then sometimes this is what needs done. This is something Daniel really realized on that day, and it’s a battle I am constantly working to improve in my own life. Working from a young age, and working many of those years with multiple jobs, I have learned what and where hard work will get you and it’s extremely difficult for me to not be constantly invested in what I'm doing.

This Thanksgiving, I had the day off. I had the entire day off, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. Even my main priorities for that day were un-work related and I found myself, once again, feeling guilty that the day would go by and I wouldn’t have anything productive to show for it. So, I found myself on my computer that morning trying to get some work done and responding to emails and messages. Then I went to support the guys at Kaizen Crossfit as they defeated their opponents in the Turkey Bowl flag-football game held in a park near my house. After that was over, I came home and did a little more light work and got ready to accompany my roommate to the dinner we were invited to at an older couple’s house in Anthem. I had never met them prior and although I was really looking forward to it, I still felt that nagging thought in the back of my head telling me that I should be working instead of going to dinner.

As we pulled up to the house, I was already in amazement as it was just gorgeous. Perched up on a hill overlooking a golf course, pond and the beautiful Las Vegas Strip,and in a pretty secluded area that didn't feel like the city, this was truly a beautiful property. Inside the house was even more enticing as the entire ambiance had a very vintage and Victorian look to it, and smelled like Heaven with the food cooking. The couple who owned the house were just lovely people who introduced themselves to me as Mary-Louise and Henry, and I immediately felt right at home (they WERE from my home state, Pennsylvania, after all!). Remarkably, Mary-Louise’s 86 year-old mother was in town visiting and I found myself listening to her talk for hours that night. She told me the most incredible stories about her life, where she’s from, and just packed my brain full of enough wisdom to last for a long time to come. Daniel’s message from just days before resonated with me as I was able to just be around and enjoy time spent with my roommate, a retired couple and an older woman who lived life at a much slower pace than what I am used to being around, and who had more than enough time to cook an absolutely astonishing meal. As I stuffed myself full, I really felt thankful for each moment I have been given and was able to really just sit back and ‘smell the roses’ (or in this case… turkey and pumpkin pie). It really was refreshing to be in their company and to have that moment to breathe and just be surrounded by great company (and amazing food!), and all thoughts of guilt rushed away in a hurry.

What we have to realize is that there is no use blaming Time for what needs or doesn’t need done and by when and where. Life is too short to let us pass by and we should instead be focused on appreciating the processes we work on to get to our final outcome. The process is just as important as the outcome itself and we need to be able to step back and enjoy each step we take up the ladder to success in whatever endeavor we are trying to accomplish because only then will we be able to effectively ‘give’ ourselves to our tasks or to others. When we don’t take adequate time for ourselves, there is a chance we may not appreciate the precious time we are given and we may end up with resentment or regret towards Time itself, and to ourselves for not being ‘selfish’ enough with our time. Something that always helps me to take the next step (whatever it may be) is to always remember that we only get so much time and that we only have one life to spare. The seconds, minutes, hours and days we expend, we can never return to or hold onto again. Focus on the process and the journey. Does time not exist so everything isn’t required to happen at once?

Remember, you have to be selfish before you can be selfish and that time stands still for no one. Seize each day and each moment and be cognizant of how you exert your time for there are no second chances. Don’t just let them pass you by… Smell the roses.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given.”
-Gandalf to Frodo, The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)

“Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.”
-Unknown

“Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely”
-Kay Lyons

“But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.” -Benjamin Disraeli

Meet 'Courage'

2009-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

Courageousness: n- The quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely… How is it that some of the most ‘ordinary’ people are capable of conquering and triumphing over some of the most unordinary and inconceivable feats and occurrences the rest of us couldn’t even begin to fathom? What can we learn from those who do and have possessed insurmountable courage?

Being in the healthcare industry is humbling in too many ways to count or to begin expressing. Each day, the mission of a healthcare provider is, essentially, to help others find their ‘epiphany’ which will lead them to be successful both in and out of the gym. But what about the people who don’t necessarily have the option of making a change? Or what about those who enter knowingly into a field or career knowing they are up against the life and death of both themselves and those they serve? This is something I have really come to embrace and recognize because all around us and throughout the world, people are fighting battles they will or may never win without a miracle. These people live and breathe courage every minute of their lives because they know that at any given moment in time, everything as they know it could be gone. They realize how precious life is and how it should never be taken for granted because tomorrow is never a guarantee. For some people, just waking up and having the opportunity to see the sun shining is the greatest miracle they could ever hope for. Meet “Courage”….

Having been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in high school that only inflicts a few hundred individuals a year, my 21 year-old cousin, Robbie, truly was the definition of ‘courage’. Spending his high school years and beyond fighting a never-ending battle with Rhabdomyosarcoma, Robbie was always, always one to divert any and all attention elsewhere. With a constant smile and an always positive outlook on his situation, you would seriously never have guessed from the outside all the damage and pain he was experiencing on the inside. Although in and out of the hospital and Doctor’s office for years of constant treatments, chemotherapy and every other possible procedure you could imagine, Robbie always jumped right back into life full force and never made you feel at will to feel sympathy for him. Working back home at the gym I was employed at, when he would walk in, the smile that illuminated on his face was so infectious that you couldn’t help but to feel on top of the world with him. Being around him was almost the opposite of what you’d expect from a cancer patient. He did absolutely EVERYTHING any ‘normal’ kid would do and never took for granted a single moment of his life. Instead of feeling bad for him, you almost couldn’t help but to feel bad for all those who weren’t enjoying life as much as Robbie did. He fought for life against all odds, and although he lost his battle just last week, he is someone I will look up to and admire Robbie for the rest of my life for having the physical strength and the positive mental capacity to live life like there was no tomorrow and to show the world how courageous he could be through such dire circumstances. People like Robbie come few and far between, but when you meet them… you are never the same. “Pride in being a nice guy since 1988.” (–Robbie’s default quote on Facebook)

My best friend growing up and throughout life, Cleveland (yes… he always caught a lot of flack for his name!), was the absolute most positive person I have ever met before. You would never guess that he lived each day in an extremely broken home where he almost daily suffered through abuse, poverty, and very little love and support. Talking to him was always such a positive experience, and his ability to relate to people was just outstanding. Never, ever did he project his problems onto anyone, and he always started every conversation wanting to know about how the other person was doing. People gravitated toward him like bees to honey and his energy could instantly snap you out of any negative moods. When I was younger, it was Cleveland who heard me humming a song and who encouraged me to sing it out loud. Being one of the most talented musicians imaginable, Cleveland found his happiness through his relationships with his friends and through music. Without him, I would have never found my own voice and it was he who was my inspiration to pursue music so heavily when growing up. I used to sing for hours and hours over the phone with and for him and he always supported me through anything I wanted to engage in. Nothing was ever too big for Cleveland and no matter how bad things were in his life, his courage always led him in directions typically opposite of most other people in his situation. To begin a new life for himself, he decided to courageously up and move to Colorado where he received an amazing career opportunity to head and revive the music department at a school where it had been suffering for years. He wanted so badly to escape the life that was destined for him, to live his dream and to defeat all the odds placed against him his entire life. He received his wish as his life only enhanced from that point forward. His next courageous step came in his decision to receive gastric bypass surgery to assist him in his weight-loss goals as he was a pretty hefty guy. After the surgery was over, he successfully lost over 100lbs (and counting!), and was working so hard to reach the goals he had set for himself. Upon my own decision to move to Las Vegas, Cleveland and I had planned on seeing each other as often as possible and he was still right by my side being one of my biggest supporters throughout that challenging time in my life. I was always amazed at how much he constantly ‘gave’, and how much he truly loved me for me, day after day, year after year, come rain or come shine. Right before my move, he had to go back into surgery for another gastrointestinal procedure and I was just beside myself with how far he had come in his journey, and how he never failed to be right there beside me during my own endeavors. During this second and less intense procedure, Cleveland tragically and devastatingly suffered a massive heart attack and didn’t make it through the surgery. Although I lost someone very close and dear to my heart on that day, I am able to take what I was blessed to be given from him and use it to find my own courage in this life and to ‘give’ to others what he never failed to give me. It truly goes to show that the cycle of ‘giving’ really does go full circle, and that even through loss we can find inspiration and courage, in turn, share it with others.

Back home in PA, I spent four years working for a gym that had grown and developed into a home away from home ever since I was little. During this time, I met so many amazing and courageous people who helped shape me into the person I am today and who helped guide me down my chosen path and career field as a personal trainer. Inspiration can sometimes be rare to find, but it’s always impossible to miss. My great friend, Dan, is one of these people who you just couldn’t miss. Not because he is paralyzed and in a wheelchair, but because he always wears a smile despite his disabilities and is one of the most delightful people you could ever hope to know in your lifetime. Having dove out of a tree at the age of 13 into shallow water appearing deep, Dan has spent the majority of his life wheelchair-bound without a chance or guarantee for full or any recovery. The irony of it all is that even in his disposition, he always seems happier than most everyone else around him and he speaks with such a positive demeanor that always rubs off on all those around him. In the years I have known Dan, he indirectly taught me so much about life and about never taking things for granted. Regardless of what life brought his way, he was always, always at the gym every Tuesday and Thursday morning and for a while before I moved, I had the great opportunity of training him on those days I was working. In and out of the hospital continuously due to the other conditions Dan’s immune system just couldn’t always fight off, I remember visiting him while he was in a coma on life-support and just feeling so upset that life could be so cruel to someone so incredible. When you have the honor of knowing someone like Dan, your perceptions, ‘realities’ and life change forever. Although I am 3,000 miles away, I think of Dan all the time. When I think I’m having a bad day, or if I let something get to me, my mind always, always reverts back to Dan and how hard he fights everyday just to stay alive and wake up the next day. I think of all the challenges he has faced and continues to battle through each day. I think about it because the truth is… I truly don’t know if I could ever be as courageous as Dan. I literally can’t even begin to imagine how different and challenging life would be in his shoes. There are people ALL over the world who have it SO much worse than me at any point in time when I could say I’m at my ‘worst’. A ‘bad’ day for me is a day someone like Dan would give anything in this world to experience. I have no business frowning if he can always find a way to smile. Without knowing it, knowing Dan has influenced me to be a better person and to never take life for granted. He literally lives FOR the day, and I think it’s a lesson we should all learn from and apply to our own lives. When I hear people complain about having a leaky faucet at home, breaking their watch, being too tired, needing a car repair, etc… I can’t help but wonder why if THIS is the worst of their ‘problems’, why aren’t they smiling?!... Maybe they have just never met someone like Dan.

The act of courage doesn’t always have to come directly from the people suffering through debilitating situations either. I see courage everyday, all around me in a positive light as well. Take my three friends, Leanne Nester, Jeremiah Carroll, and Martina Montgomery. Leanne is currently going through invasive training to become a Las Vegas Paramedic and is also working hard towards entering the Las Vegas Fire Department, Jeremiah was one of just 120 out of 1,500 applicants here in Vegas just accepted into the Fire Department, and Martina formerly served as one of the only females in the Las Vegas Police Department. Talking with Jeremiah the other day about his daily schedule and the absolute insanity he is dedicated to each day in his training, watching Leanne travel from training to work, to training to work, to work, and BACK to training each and everyday with little or no rest, and having discussions with Martina on what she had to go through just to get ON the LVPD, and what she was forced to handle on a daily basis, I can’t help but to just bow down in awe and admiration of the people who devote (and oftentimes volunteer) their time and lives to helping prevent tragedy, see people and situations at their absolute worst, and put their own lives at stake in lieu of saving or protecting another life. The same can also be said of many other professions as well such as the many, many, many friends and family of mine (and yours) who have served our country in all the different branches of the military and who put their lives on the line for us each and everyday. Although the stories that result from the people in these professions are heavily glorified and taken note of continuously through the news, media, community and even from some of their own personal experiences, I truly think that the individual people behind these acts of courage aren’t always appreciated enough for what they do. Although we are aware of these people and we hear about them, more often than not, it is the situation or people they save or protect that we hear about first and foremost. This is their career. This is their life. And even when we do hear about the hero behind the act, what we are sometimes jaded from and what I believe we take for granted is the fact that these individuals are literally miracle-workers. They go to work each day prepared to face situations the rest of us can’t even begin to fathom and each day they play guardian angel to families, communities, countries, and to the world. The courage these individuals unknowingly possess impresses me to no end as it truly takes a special person to have the desire and the mental and physical ability to face these situations head-on everyday. In being around people like Leanne, Jeremiah and Martina, I have grown so aware of the big and little courageous things people are doing each day for us that we may not think twice about. I also apply it to my own life and career in knowing that each person that walks into my life seeking my help has a fear of something. That each person in GENERAL is afraid of something. That part of my job is to take that person’s fear and help them find the courage to overcome it. It’s a quality we all possess and are able to do, but it is also a quality we have to be reminded about on occasion and sometimes nagged about.

These are only a couple of the many, many examples of courage that have influenced me to be the person I am today and of the billions of stories we could spend a lifetime talking about. There is something to learn from each person’s courage and no matter how glum the situation, there is always something beautiful and inspirational that will always emerge from it in time. Maybe not this instant. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not in a year. But eventually. As healthcare providers, we mustn’t ever forget to try and find the beauty that lies within the people who look to us for the courage to help them find their own. Each person will and does have a story. Each person has lived. Has lost. Has seen devastation. Tragedy. Has fought a battle and won. Has lost. These individuals possess more courage than we know for walking through our doors as for most of them, this experience alone can be terrifying and may have taken a significant amount of time to work up to.

We must approach each day like it’s our last and know we may not always win. The obstacles that Life burdens us with are in direct proportion to our strength and we must realize that we will never be thrown a ball that’s too heavy for us to catch. Appreciate all that’s around you and the next time you feel like complaining… smile.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.” –August Wilson

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” –Mark Victor Hansen

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” –Theodore Roosevelt

“Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death.” –Earl Wilson

(Rest in peace, Robbie and Cleveland. I will always love you.)

YOU-nited Through Connections

2009-11-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

“How did you get to where you are today?” As I thought about the best way to answer this in a short amount of time, I came to the conclusion that the answer could quite possibly be summed up in just one word: Networking. How did you get to where YOU are today?

During our Connect To Fitness Event at REI in Boca Park here in the luxurious and astonishing Summerlin area of Las Vegas, there was a portion of the event dedicated to about a half an hour of ‘speed networking’ (think ‘speed dating’… but less creepy). We were to travel around the room, exchanging seats with the person before us every couple minutes and hold a networking conversation with the person on the other side of the table. One of the questions someone asked me was that of how I came to be standing right where I am right now, and all I could find myself doing was reflecting on the process I had went through to get to where I am today. This question in itself is beyond a two or three minute conversation, but I remember thinking that overall I could sum up my answer in that one word: Networking.

A year and a half ago, if you’d have told me I’d be successfully living in Las Vegas, I would probably have laughed. Not because I wouldn’t have believed in my abilities to somehow pull it off, but because I had known literally NO one who lived in Vegas. How on earth would I be capable of moving cross-country 3,000 miles away from home without any connections to help make the process more efficient? The long and short of it is that it would have been a much greater challenge had I not made connections to assist my endeavors. The myth of the ‘self-made’ man is exactly that: A ‘Myth’. Although I can look back and pride myself in actually taking the steps up the ladder, I can’t credit that those steps were created alone or that I didn’t have a hand guiding me.

During the ‘speed networking’ experience, I found myself sitting in front of my bosses, colleagues, co-workers, friends, strangers, and mentors, all who have had (and continue to have) an impact on my life. I thought back to my moving experience, and how incredibly far 3,000 miles was but how close it felt with the help of other people. The struggles involved with making such a tremendous change and move were life-changing and during that time I really learned how strong of a person I truly was. I can remember telling someone back home I had considered myself 'close' to about my move and hearing the response of, “Oh… You’ll be back. Everyone comes back.”. Devastated, it caused me to shrink briefly into my shell, but to then immediately spring out and use it for inspiration as to why I have to work extra hard to make this happen.

During the event as well, Darian got up in front of everyone who attended and gave the shortened version of one of the lectures he does for the students at the Professional Fitness Institute for the students at Boot Camp. One of the points he makes that always resonates with me is that of surrounding yourself and networking with people who aspire and are similar to you. Each time I hear him deliver this great point, my mind reverts back to the people who really didn’t believe in me when all was said and done. The pain I experienced in my moving experience was both good and bad as it hurts to find out the people you rely on aren’t really there for you, but it also helps you to cherish and recognize the people who do stick by you through thick and through thin without question. Without the negative circumstances, we would have no way of recognizing and appreciating the positive and great people and experiences in our lives to the extent that is deserved. Sometimes it takes a life-altering experience to figure out how strong we are as individuals and who is really going to be there when it counts. Step back and look at your own life and ask yourself this: How many people would be there for you right now if it came down to a life-altering/changing situation? How many of the people around you could stick by you through whatever life endowed and through whatever sticks and stones were thrown your way? The few people you can say without a doubt would be by your side are the types of people you want to encompass your life around. When you have people around you that believe in and support your endeavors, there will be no resentment or question to your abilities because you will always have a constant support system behind you lifting you to the next level and surrounding you from every angle. Now let’s take this a step further; Think back to the most traumatic experience in your life. It can be anything on any scale. Who was there for you and who helped pick you back up when you felt you had stumbled for the last time? It is important to always seek out and keep close those select few individuals who will always be there to catch you when you fall and to help you surpass your ‘limitations’ and goals you set for yourself. When you are surrounded with people who constantly put you down and don’t believe in you, it becomes ingrained in our minds that maybe we aren’t good enough, smart enough, fast enough, strong enough, and we may not even try to take that risk or chance that could be the next step in our journey to success.

Success in itself is very much a mental game. Whether it’s reaching our goals personally or professionally, there is so much mental strength involved in doing something we may ‘fail’ at initially. It takes a certain type of person to push forward knowing there is a risk involved and possibly failure. When we have the right people around us reaching out a helping hand, we know that even if we make a mistake or ‘fail’ the first or 20th time that we will still have a great support system behind us cheering us on to the finish line. This can make all the difference when trying to accomplish something. Let go of all that holds you back and take the risk you have been putting off. What do you have to lose?

As Darian went through the basics of networking and why it’s so important to do for yourself and your career, all eyes were fixated on the screen in the front of the room and you could literally have heard a pin-drop. The response afterward was awesome and by incorporating the speed-networking game directly after, we were actually able to apply some of these things to real life that we had just learned about during the lecture.

One of the things I would encourage you to do, Faithful Reader, is step out of your box and reach out to the people you see everyday. Reach out to the people you admire. Reach out to the people who might need a helping hand to reach their next step. Reach out with the intention to ‘give’ and I promise you, it will be reciprocated. I think one of the things we fear when networking is that other people won’t be willing to put in what we are putting out. You make yourself vulnerable when networking as you are intentionally inviting another person to be involved with you and to help embellish your career while you are helping to do the same for them. One of the things I have really enjoyed about Connect To Fitness is that it has allowed me to network with some of the most amazing professionals in the area. Having just moved here less than eight months ago, I have had the opportunity to reach out to so many people I may never have had known about or had the opportunity to meet without networking.

Another valuable point Darian stresses heavily in his lecture that rings true in all walks of life is that there is truly no substitute for a one-on-one, face-to-face meeting with someone. Technology has taken a lot of face time out of our lives as seeing someone in person is no longer the only way to keep in touch. Neither is writing a letter, putting on a stamp and mailing it hoping it gets to the right person by the right time. We are no longer plagued by ‘long distance’ relationships as technology has made it so much easier to keep in touch through phones, internet, webcams, etc. Although this is breakthrough, exciting and absolutely necessary now-a-days, it has also left meeting in person a lost art and a lost cause. Now people meet over the internet and foster their relationships virtually. If there is one thing I can agree with, it’s that what Darian says is absolutely true as you will never be able to achieve the emotional ties and connections with someone through virtual reality. You will never see an expression through words, you will never hear the tone of someone’s voice through online chat, you will never ‘see’ what a person is truly passionate about unless you actually take the time to meet with them. This has become one of the things I look forward to most. It may be strange when I say that I meet with strangers on a weekly basis whom I either only met maybe once or never before prior to our meeting. But in the past, this was the only way of meeting someone and I still believe today that you should never substitute an actual and live conversation with emails and Facebook conversations. Meeting with some of the greatest professionals in all of Las Vegas has been an extremely honoring and humbling experience to me as each person has been above and beyond anything their profiles or online messages could have told me. I have walked out of meetings so inspired that it actually brought tears to my eyes and it always makes me wonder why more people don’t reach out to sit down, have a cup of coffee and just simply get to know each other and find out what the both of you are all about. I have never, ever had a meeting where something productive didn’t come out of it. But I HAVE had numerous occasions online where sending messages back and forth just didn’t fill that void. You are also able to foster an actual friendship using this method and you have the ability to connect on an emotional level with a person. Meeting with new people a couple times a week has really helped me both personally and professionally establish myself and get to know the area that I live in. Connect To Fitness has been a fantastic avenue for people to get involved with each other and to meet the other people in this industry who are vying to make a difference through personal connections and taking risks. There just isn’t a substitute. So, I encourage you, Faithful Reader, to reach out and meet the people you have relied on technology to keep you in touch with. Ask them out for coffee, lunch or dinner, or visit their facility or invite them into yours, and just talk. Call them on the phone if they live far away and hold a conversation. Ask questions. Find out how you can help them. What goes around, comes around. It’s tried and true, and it’s GOOD to step out of your comfort zone.

As our awesome event tied up and came to an end, we actually had to extend the event an entire hour as people stayed after to connect further through conversations. I was one of those people. One of the funny things was that a couple people whom I have been ‘friends’ with on Facebook for months, but never had the chance to meet in real life, attended and I couldn’t believe what I had been missing in my online ‘conversations’ with these individuals. It was quite awesome to meet the person behind the words and to actually see what they encompass in real life.

A good part of my last hour at the event was spent talking to two of the very people who have done so much for me this past year and a half, Dr. Darian Parker and Charles Ware. As we sat there and talked outside of the work environment, I was surprised to learn a lot about them that I never knew before. I also thought during our conversation how ‘giving’ truly does go full circle. I remembered my process of moving out to Las Vegas and having to so heavily rely on both of them for support, confidence and guidance in everything I was trying to do across the country (and I still rely on them heavily to this day!). I remember all that they reached out and did for me even though they didn’t even know me well and the risks that both of them took by taking me under their wing. I will never know how to repay them for all that they invested into me, but I do know that by leading from the example they constantly follow, I can give back little by little by following through with their expectations of me and the expectations I have made for myself. Since moving to Vegas, I have been blessed to be able to work alongside these very individuals who helped me through the biggest challenge of my life and I will spend my own time working to help them in any way I can. Giving is the world’s best gift, and you might surprise yourself with the irony of how things work out when you decide to allow your heart to be vulnerable to giving.

As I watched the remainder of the people pile out, I, too, packed up my belongings and said my ‘goodbyes’ to the people that were left at the event. On the way home, my phone buzzed and I realized I had received a text message from a friend all the way back home. I read the message and thought how ironic life works itself out. The message said, “I wanted to say thank you for your email the other day and that I miss you, miss seeing you and miss hearing your voice. Let me know when you are coming to town next because no amount of emails beats actual Emma-time.”. I couldn’t help but smile.

Until next time, Faithful Reader,

“It's not enough to hit the notes. There is no point in the singers just standing there and sounding wonderful if they're not connecting with the characters they are portraying.” –Bruce Beresford

“My parents told me that I could do and be anything I really wanted. I believed them.” -Molly McDonald

“To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.” -Theodore H. White

"Optical Illusions"

2009-11-02T04:21:00.000-08:00

The drive home was a blurry one. Gripping the steering wheel so tightly, I struggled to choke back tears as my faith and belief began to wither away. My world as I knew it was crumbling and the biggest challenge of my life was confronting me head-on.

Originally from Erie County, Pennsylvania and residing in a small town called Waterford, I was always a little girl with a big imagination and even bigger dreams. So big, in fact, that even I didn’t always take them seriously. Growing up modestly without many material items, imagination was the key to cure boredom and it was where I returned to on a daily basis. When friends would come over, we wouldn’t just simply play with toys and technology like most kids do nowadays, but we would be in the woods conveniently surrounding my house building castles with motes and living lavishly amongst the fantasy world we would create and believe in. We would ‘cook’ gourmet food, our careers were (obviously) no less than six figures, and most of the time even that wasn’t even an issue as anything we wanted we were able to create right before our very eyes. We would cruise around in our vehicles that never needed repaired (or gas!) and our houses were massive, always clean, and mortgage free. I grew up with the mentality that nothing was impossible because, for me, imagination had shown me that nothing WAS on the realm of ‘impossible’. I had lived each day vicariously in a different career doing whatever I desired at that moment in time, and the truth of it is that after a while, I really started to believe those things. My imagination took on a life of its own and I didn’t even understand the concept of ‘impossibilities’. As far as I knew, I didn’t have much, but at the same time, I was rich with everything I could possibly ever dream of (and dream I did!).

It seems strange to me that as the years pass and we are exposed to more and more people and more and more situations, our need for ‘safety’ increases and our emotions begin to get in the way of our belief system we have within ourselves. We become so easily influenced by those people and situations, that over time we actually believe these negative thoughts and we become worn down and pushed into fear of progressing into what is now known not as ‘imagination… but as ‘the unknown’.

Growing up myself, I didn’t have a lot, but I CREATED a lot. If I didn’t physically own something or if I wasn’t physically able to do something right at that moment (like… say… fly away), my mind would create the right conditions to make these endeavors completely viable and possible in my life. And each day I would find a way to make this happen. We all did. When we were lonely, we brought to life dolls, figurines, action figures, and tons of inanimate objects that probably made absolutely no sense to have ‘alive’. Although creating a friend out of thin air is not quite conducent to life as you get older, it doesn’t deter from the fact that most of us are guilty of lacking imagination and belief in what we may not be able to actually see before our eyes. Seeing tends to be where we find our belief, and we let our horizons end at an eye’s distance. This is explained perfectly in a quote made by Paul Chek: “The eyes only see what the mind knows.” I mean… read this over again a couple time and really digest what this is saying. Examine the truth exemplified in this simply complex statement. Now… Return to childhood when you actually could SEE the palace you created outside out of a few trees, some rocks, and the creek (aka: ‘mote’) in your backyard. Remember how transient time was and how we truly had no perception of ‘impossibility’. Anything was possible and everything WAS possible because we not only thought about what we wanted to do with our time and our lives, but we BELIEVED in it. We made all things possible not because we had to see them with our own eyes, but because our mind saw the final result. You see, the concept of belief can only be masked by our feelings of doubt, and oftentimes in life, what we doubt is what we fear. But think about this: If we do not possess doubt, then how can we truly say we possess faith? Belief is ascertained only by our ambitions to overlook doubt and fear and face the ‘impossible’ with an open and accepting mind that can bridge the gap between what we ‘see’ as the truth in a tangible sense and what we ‘envision’ in the distance as being unknown and fearful. Actual belief is about blind submission and being able to submerge yourself into the vigor of the ‘unknown’ with belief that what you want to happen is what is going to happen without having to actually see it. When we set aside our fears, we can begin to really discover ourselves and learn to ‘see’ our future without doubt to hold us back. We can move forward with our eyes always on that light at the end of the tunnel and our gaze can continue to be fixated without feeling the need to look over our shoulders and lose sight. When we ‘see’ in the distance our belief in our dreams and how our ideal life looks, we suddenly have grasped a control aspect to our lives that we hadn’t had prior to these ‘impossibilities’. Part of the reason so many people stop utilizing their imagination is because it diminishes their control over a situation. When you can’t physically see something with your own eyes, it is difficult to voucher for its existence in real time and it makes us feel as if we aren’t secure. The truth of the matter, Faithful Reader, is that without our visions to guide us forward, we will always be at a standstill. We will never know what that next step looks like or feels like because we will be lacking faith in its existence and we will actually have LESS control over our situations.

As I drove home that fateful day, I had let Life take control of the wheel even though I was the one behind it. Having known I was going to make the ‘impossible’ happen in a couple months by moving to Las Vegas by myself, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place with all the obstacles that life was throwing my way. As Life would have it, everything around me seemed to be ripping apart at the seams when it was supposed to be a time for me to embrace, enjoy and prepare myself for the changes that were to take place. As I was hit again HARD on this very day, my vision was completely fogged and the once transparent light up ahead was now shadowed by an opaque cloud of fear and doubt. Questions without answers swirled through my mind and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop shaking. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks… In that very moment in time, I realized how much I NEEDED to pull myself back together to make this work. My calling awaited me and the only thing stopping me from my destiny was ME. It wasn’t Life. It wasn’t these events. It wasn’t the ‘wall’ placed so strategically in front of my path. It was me. The deepest passion I had ever felt lied ahead of me a couple months away. What I desired more than anything else in the world was right at my fingertips… if I let it be. I just couldn’t give up as I was so close. If there’s one thing I have learned it’s that success can best be defined as learned failure, mistakes and setbacks. 99 out of 100 times, a person will ‘fail’, make a mistake, or have a setback in taking a risk. What most people can’t ‘imagine’, is that all it takes to reach your dreams is that ONE time. That one point when all the stars align and the pieces just fit together perfectly after ‘practicing’ for the other 99 times. If I can’t pull myself together, have confidence in myself and my life, and BELIEVE in my dreams, then how am I ever going to be effective at changing and having a positive impact on the lives of those around me as my entire career calls for? Doesn’t this revert back to the age-old saying of, “You can’t take care of someone else until you take care of yourself.”?

Right then, the fog began to dissipate and the light made itself just barely visible. Had I given into my disbelief, I may have never again found this light and I would have come to a standstill. The steps as I had previously envisioned would have ceased to exist and the platform my very feet touched would have crumbled with me on it. Faithful Reader, when you are in a profession dedicated to servicing others, you have to not only believe in your own endeavors, but you have to envision the final outcome of each client, patient and individual that walks through the doors to seek your advice, help, expertise and knowledge. Most of the people who we come in contact with aren’t going to believe in themselves to their full potential; They are going to rely on you to guide them in the right direction. They aren’t always going to know their full potential, because they have never reached it. The light at the end of the tunnel is going to be blurred and hard to follow for most individuals and they are going to need a second pair of eyes to help see them through. YOU are going to have to be their belief system, their second set of eyes and it is going to be your mission to help them ‘see’ and believe in the steps they can’t see for themselves. It is indeed a big responsibility, but it is absolutely not ‘impossible’ by any stretch of the word. If we can’t find it within ourselves to believe, how will we ever get those who seek our services to believe in us and to therefore believe in themselves? The answer is simple: We won’t. When you believe in something to the point where you can see the final outcome, it is much easier to invite others along for the ride. Let fear and doubt get in your way and not only will you be at a permanent standstill… but so will your clients. This journey and career path isn’t just about you, and this is something we always have to keep in the front of our minds and at an eyes distance away.

The times in life when belief is the hardest, it is of vital importance to look past the fog and know that regardless of how thick the wall is in front of you, the light is still shining. ‘See’ with your mind despite where life directs you as your eyes can only see as far as your mind can fathom… Sometimes it’s NOT seeing that’s believing.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

"All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the power of adding a second, a third, and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man has taken the first step. With every additional step you enhance immensely the value of your first." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence. Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying. "Here comes number seventy-one!" -Richard M. Devos

"Before success comes in any man's life he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do." -Napoleon Hill

"What we do not see, what most of us never suspect of existing, is the silent but irresistible power which comes to the rescue of those who fight on in the face of discouragement." -Napoleon Hill

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” –Marcus Aurilius

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there.” –Norman Vincent Peale

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall...

2009-10-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

“What is your favorite thing about yourself?”… Belief instills I am correct in assuming I caught you off-guard with that question. Why is it that we spend all day helping other people recognize the greatness within themselves (as health care providers), yet we rarely take the time to ask ourselves personally this same question?

While I was in school, I was really into an exercise psychology book that presented endless ways on how to appropriately approach clients and athletes on a mental level to help them achieve an optimal mindset for performance as well as everyday life. Within the pages of the book, there were numerous sample questionnaires to be filled out by the applicant that could help the trainer, coach, etc… get a better idea of where this person stands on a mental level. Curious, I decided it would be in my own best interest to take the questionnaires as it was part of my studies and something I should experience myself before ever implementing (not to mention I was kind of curious as well…). One of the questions I came across was the question, “What is your favorite thing about yourself?”. To my own surprise, I found myself stopped in my tracks as I actually had to think of what the answer might be! “Well,” I thought, “I guess I kind of like my eyelashes, but as my favorite?... And then I sort of like my skin tone and complexion, but not with all these summer tan lines and that one zit that won’t seem to go away… but WAIT… Do I maybe have a decent physique?... Maybe, but I’m not where I’d like to be.” Sigh…. Why was this so difficult?

Weirdly enough (and I’m sure you have heard it all before), we are our own worst critics. Because we get to spend 24 hours a day with and in our bodies, we get to know every single ‘flaw’, every single ‘imperfection’, and every single thing that could be made better ‘If only…”. We are competitive by human nature and evolution created us to aspire to be a better mate than the person standing next to us. The truly ironic part is that no matter how much we want to be the person standing next to us or on that magazine cover, this opportunity will never arise. We will never be somebody else and we should never want to. Each person has their own individual characteristics of which makes them stand out and special. Each person has their own quirks, their own room for improvements. If we were all the same or if we all spent our lives trying to be someone else, we would never truly be recognized for our own unique qualities, talents, personalities and looks.

One of my best friends and my co-worker, Kristina Lindquist, made a comment one day at our Health Profile Institute Certification Course that really resonated with me deeply and I never forgot it. She expressed that one of the first things she asks a new client isn’t “What are you trying to improve?”, or “What is it you are unhappy with?”, but she asks the question of, “What do you love most about yourself?”. I found this interesting and could completely resound with why this question could possibly be extremely meaningful in a first exchange with a new client. Think about it; We already spend so much time critiquing and criticizing ourselves for our flaws, for our blemishes, for all the things that make us unique. Rarely does a person spend time relishing the things that they love or picking out the certain characteristics about themselves that are positive attributes. As a trainer myself, I found this deeply regarding as personal training in general is based on self-improvement and in really channeling into the things the client wants and needs to improve mentally, physically, emotionally and (sometimes) spiritually. Oftentimes, we face extreme circumstances of clients who are physically disabled, overweight, mentally broken down and/or stressed, on loads of medication, diseased, and just overall not where they want to be physically and/or mentally. If they were completely satisfied with themselves, they wouldn’t be seeking US for help. With that said, we already can assume there are things the client is unhappy with. Of course, you want to find this out as well as it is exactly what you need to know to design your program for them and how to work around their problem areas, however, think about how beneficial it would ALSO be to know what the client liked about him/herself. You would always have that positive feedback to revert back to and embellish upon with and for the client, and by getting them to admit something they are happy about, they can learn to recognize and be proud of their positive attributes and the things that make them special and really start getting acclimated to positive reinforcement. Understand again: Your clients aren’t coming to you because they are satisfied. They want and need you to help them make the life changes that they aren’t happy about and that they feel need improvement. They don’t call it ‘Personal’ Training for nothing. The journey our clients are on can be tremendously overwhelming and emotional, and when we work for hours each week with the people who seek our expertise, we need to help them embrace both the good and the bad. We need to encourage them and let them know they are special. We need to point out both the bad AND the good and help them to see the glass as half full so they can keep pressing forward no matter how difficult the circumstances may be. We need to motivate and coach them through the execution of their entire session, and we need to believe in them and get them to believe in themselves. You are their inspiration!

I see it all the time in those ‘trainers’ who have no business being in this type of industry. They neglect the mental component and aspect of training. Fitness, health and wellness is a universal, personal and emotional thing for all of us, and it is something that everyone in the world can relate to regardless of race, age, gender, religion, etc. Try this on for size… What is the one and only event held in the world where the entire GLOBAL POPULATION gets together to participate in and watch as ONE? The Olympics! Coincidence? I think not. It is the sole event where the entire world can forget about war, prejudism, terrorism, etc., and just be together. Pretty remarkable, huh? Let’s not take this for granted when we are training clients, and let’s realize they are on a remarkable journey themselves and that that journey is and is going to be emotional, life-changing, and unforgettable. And YOU are the one who they have chosen to be by their side throughout the duration of this journey. To help them to see themselves in a positive light and enforce and encourage them to believe in themselves.

So, let’s work on this together. I challenge you, Faithful Reader, to open up a notebook and list everything you love about yourself. And do this with all things aside. This is your own journey and self discovery and we also need some positive reinforcement once and a while to keep us going. Don’t be surprised by your modesty and embrace what it is that makes you special as an individual. Be able to look in the mirror each day and love the things that make you who you are. Feel and become familiar with your own emotions and keep them close with you during each session. Create the example you wish for others to follow.

Reverting back to that fateful day in school… Taking a deep breath, I hesitated as the tip of my pencil hovered over the spaces where my words were supposed to be encrypted. I thought to myself, “You know what, Emma? How is your confidence going to be convincing to those around you if you aren’t even convinced yourself?” So, right then and there, I didn’t just write the one thing I loved most, but I threw in the towel and created a whole LIST. As I wrote, I realized that even my ‘imperfections’ gave me character. The scar on my left knee cap that never went away after I fell off my bike in kindergarten… Hey! I completely forgot about that story! I realized that even the things I considered to be ‘flawed’, were actually reminders of things that made me who I am today, and they also prompted me to remember that I am still on a journey just like the people I train. Although our journeys may have different goals and stories behind them, we are all still together in the journey toward self-improvement (Whatever that may entail for each person on an individual basis).

Embracing what we love is just as, if not more, important than stating and recognizing what we don’t. On our journey to help others bask in this light, keep the list you created close to your heart and refer to it during each of the hours you dedicate to helping another person. The environment you work in and live is a direct reflection of your own attitude and expectations… Let the mirror do all the talking for you.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“The human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly distorts and discolors the nature of things by mingling its own nature with it.” –Francis Bacon, Sr

“It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.” -Author Unknown

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.” -Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

“I've spent most of my life walking under that hovering cloud, jealousy, whose acid raindrops blurred my vision and burned holes in my heart. Once I learned to use the umbrella of confidence, the skies cleared up for me and the sunshine called joy became my faithful companion.” -Astrid Alauda

Acting On a New 'Idea'

2009-10-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Reading my Mapquest directions, I drove out of The Ridges in gorgeous Summerlin after leaving work early prepared to locate yet another facility around town, down a road less travelled. Each and every day we are all struck with opportunities, crossroads, and forks in the road that divert our attention to doors that are either just cracked or fully open. It is up to us, and us alone, to not fear walking through these doors to see what may lie on the other side.

I find that the drive to each Connect To Fitness Event is a time in which reflection and reminiscence take over the moment. I typically don’t listen to music on my way (which is REALLY rare), and I just let my mind wander as I sit back with the Las Vegas air streaming through my hair, sunshine on my skin and really just take some time to recap how I got from Point A to Point B. It never ceases to amaze me what a little careful planning without searching can do.

Have you ever went to tell someone something important only to completely forget until later what the heck you were going to say when all is said and done? Or have you ever walked into a room with the intention to get or do something, and the intention itself escapes you until you leave the room and are on your way once again? Well… Life isn’t much different in this regard. Throughout life, I always felt an insatiable need for something I was constantly searching for. High and low, it seemed that the only doors I allowed myself to see were the ones I physically opened myself. There was always a missing link to the puzzle that seemed to escape me no matter how much time I spent looking for it. Whether it was relationships, which path to take for my future, or how to get from one point to the next, the answer just never seemed to be anywhere I looked!

As I drove out of the luxurious Ridges in Summerlin after an awesome day of work at Club Ridges, I hopped on the highway and ventured to my own unexpected reality of a dream come true with Connect To Fitness. I thought back to the day shortly after I had moved out here when Darian sat me down and talked to me about this ‘idea’ he had called Connect To Fitness and about the involvement he envisioned me having. At the time, I was star-struck to begin with as the ‘idea’ really wasn’t anything I had ever heard of prior to that conversation, and I just felt so faithful about the bottom line of the mission and with my position in the organization. I never in my wildest dreams would have guessed just HOW involved I would be in this awesome idea.

As I came to, I realized that I was almost to The Hara Center (http://useyourhara.com/), where our event was being held. Holding my hand-written directions (I admit to not having a printer…), I pulled up into the parking lot and noticed that most of the businesses in the same building were closed, yet the parking lot was reasonably full with vehicles. I got out and saw I had arrived at the same time as Troy Meier, my Fitness Director at Dragon Ridge Tennis and Athletic Center, and I greeted him as we walked toward the same destination. Just as we began walking in the wrong direction, out comes Darian from the doors of Hara’s to lead us in the right direction with his always enthusiastic and welcoming salutations. So, to the doors of Hara’s we went!

On my way to the door, I realized the irony as I got closer as the door was standing wide open awaiting a new and unexpected adventure. All I had to do was simply walk through it. As I entered inside, I was welcomed this time by Darian’s amazing wife, Michelle, who was handing out all the creative handouts the staff at Hara’s put together including a ‘favorite recipe’ card, a health quiz to complete and hand in for raffle tickets (and extra shots at our prize give-away!) as well as some information on Hara’s class schedules, pricing, and an entire itinerary for the event (not to mention the awesome bright orange ‘Hara’ pen that everyone received to fill out the paperwork!). As I thanked Michelle, I peeled my eyes away from the pen (it was a pretty cool pen!), and looked up. To my surprise (sort of) and astonishment (again… sort of), the room was already filled with people and there was already conversations and networking happening throughout the room. The packed parking lot was definitely due to this event! Not only that, but there was actually a line waiting to sign into the event. It was definitely something to smile about.

When you first walk into the Hara Center, you are immediately greeted to the left by the awesome front desk staff are just so kind, friendly and approachable. Over to the right, you can purchase any number of workout clothes and activewear to feed your frenzy, and for the event, any attendees received 25% off their entire purchase! Moving to the back of the room, you notice how awesome the ambiance is created to suit the studio through the use of color with tans, oranges, deep reds and a touch of yellow. As you cross through the rest of the room showcasing their activewear, you can be sure that your eyes will not be bored with your surroundings. Towards the back of the room, you could find the cooler set up by Charles Ware of PFI loaded with both bottled water and Vitamin Water, and on the far left was an entire table set up loaded with food. From ground turkey burgers, lettuce, tomato and whole wheat pitas, to healthy chips and pita chips with hummus dip, there was something for everyone (and it was all incredible!).

Moving into the room in the back, this same ambiance is carried to create a really zen-like atmosphere and you immediately notice the large mirrors and the bars attached to the ceiling to help assist the massage therapists with their Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy Massages. Ashiatsu is a really neat alternative to traditional massage therapy as the bars are held by the therapist’s hands throughout the duration of the massage, and the therapist actually use their feet as hands to provide a deeper, less painful and more beneficial massage overall. The bars are used for balance and gravitational assistance, which is pretty impressive! Their bodywork menu also includes foot massages, Swedish, Sports, Injury, Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, and Prenatal as well as Ashi-Thai massages. You don’t want to miss out on their treatments, and if you need a great reference or testimonial from a trustworthy individual, look no further than Dr. Darian Parker, who went back to Hara’s with his wife the following day to receive a treatment.

The gift of Hara’s doesn’t stop giving either. You can take any number of their innovative group exercise fitness and/or dance classes, (listen to this, personal trainers…) you can rent out their studio with clients for only $25.00/hour, and you can purchase a membership to Hara’s where you will receive generous and discounted benefits and perks to make your experience even more grandiose each time you visit.

For the sake of the event, we were fortunate enough to have Arthur Hsu and Haley Hollander at the event presenting live demos of and with their TRX Suspension Training Systems, which they conveniently hung on the massage bars on the ceiling. If you aren’t familiar with the TRX System (once again: to all you health and fitness gurus!), it is definitely something to become familiar with as they are becoming more prevalent in the industry and it is a ‘trend’ that looks like it’s going to be around for a long time to come. Arthur demonstrated a full-body workout and had the attention of everyone in at the event. After the demo, he was able to work one-on-one with many of the guests who expressed specific interest in this innovative training style.

After the TRX demo, Darian and I announced the winners of the first prize giveaway (which is always one of our favorite parts of the events), and, as always, we had some amazing prizes donated from some of our fantastic sponsors. We had some amazing prizes ranging from a Travel Trainer from Scott Lenz at AFP, a couple Professional Fitness Institute backpacks stuffed to the max as usual from Charles Ware and the PFI staff, free personal training from Tracy at Studio 222, and many more.

As I wandered around after the prize giveaway, mingling with familiar and new faces, I once again let my mind just take in the moment and I felt so proud to be a part of this amazing journey. To think this all started as an ‘idea’! I thought about how much more fulfilling the lives of others would be if they were to just walk through these ‘doors’ that approach them everyday. Think to yourself once again about a time (and everyone has had at least one of these times) when you see someone else ‘commercializing’ on an idea that you ‘came up with’. Have you ever watched an infomercial, or read a magazine and saw that someone else ‘stole’ an idea you came up with years ago? Well, you can’t take credit for this endeavor as you weren’t the one who took the opportunity to make it a reality. For those of us who put those ideas in the backs of our minds, we can’t claim it as our own as we weren’t the ones who walked through that door that was wide open. Rather, we sat back until someone else walked through the door first. This is a common venture that happens to people everyday, and the more people I meet and the older I get, I realize how rare these people are who are willing to step through a door without someone else entering first. I am proud to say that Darian Parker is one of these rare exceptions and he is able to see his dreams and goals stretch so distant in the future that it’s actually difficult sometimes to fathom his ‘ideas’. He leads by a great example, and (as the numbers from the events show) more and more people are catching on and walking through those same doors themselves to take that risk of being a part of something monumental. With him, there is no such thing as an ‘idea’. It is all a reality that is going to happen, and it is an example that we should all follow in our own lives so life doesn’t pass us by and leave us with closed doors.

As I made my way around the room, gabbing and snapping photos, the next demonstration was scheduled to begin before I even realized it. Three women from MOKSHA and Bikram Yoga by Biram Yoga SW (located right in the same building!) came in to demonstrate a snip-it of what you could expect to get if you were to attend one of their Bikram yoga classes. If you aren’t familiar with Bikram, it’s yoga in extreme heat of between 98-102 degrees (at least with this particular studio. Temperatures do fluctuate depending upon where you take it), and it readily allows for better and more lax movement from the body being heated as well as a more detoxifying experience as the added sweat and perspiration during class removes and releases everyday toxins out of our pores and body more easily. If you are into yoga and haven’t yet experienced the benefits of Bikram, give it shot and see for yourself how great your body feels afterwards.

Once again, after this demonstration, Darian and I had our second prize giveaway which included another bag from PFI, towels and gym bags donated from our awesome TRX representatives, as well as some awesome prizes from Hara’s themselves including a large bag loaded with gifts, a free 60 minute massage, and an entire year membership to their facility. The prize giveaways are always so humbling and it is just the best feeling to give to others and to see the facial expressions of those whose ticket number is called. There is nothing better than giving to others, as it always comes around full circle.

As the event tapered down, we began our final announcements regarding our final events of the year in the month of November and let everyone know that November 7th, we are having an event at Kaizen Crossfit (http://www.kaizencrossfit.com/) at 4:30pm (RSVP asap as space is limited!), as well as our final event of the year which will take place at REI in Boca Park (http://www.rei.com/) the following Saturday the 14th of November from 4:00-7:00pm. Both events will be jam-packed with surprises and things you don’t want to miss, so please RSVP to both events asap to Darian Parker, Heather Doane or myself or email the CTF staff at Connecttofitness@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

As the event tapered down and guests began filing out, Darian, Heather and I were all smiles after another successful event came to an end. As we, also, filed out the doors after the final guests left, we exchanged our ‘goodbyes’ and all went our separate ways.

The ride home was as serene as the ride to the event as the event replayed in my mind the entire ride home. While listening and dancing to Miley Cyrus’s song “Party in the USA”, I smiled as I came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ idea. With that said and done… Wouldn’t your ideas be so much more appealing coupled with an action?

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” -Jim Rohn

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” -Albert Einstein

“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.” -Nolan Bushnell

The Road Less Traveled

2009-10-13T03:07:00.000-07:00

“On the road to success, You can be sure of one thing...There is never a crowd on the extra mile.”… Everyone has heard about going the ‘extra’ mile, but what constitutes that little bit of ‘extra’ and how come only certain people are successful in traversing this outer limit most people restrict themselves from?

The difference between going the ‘extra mile’ and ‘not’ really doesn’t take much, and often-times it can constitute something so simple that it will make you wonder why everyone doesn’t implement such things into their everyday lives.

So, what does it mean to go the ‘extra mile’? You can always tell if you have accomplished and traversed this little bit of ‘extra’ because you will have evoked that ‘Wow’ factor in those around you. It might just be something as simple as taking out the trash, or just going out of your way to hold the door for a stranger, but these ‘small’ things in life are usually more meaningful than we realize. Think to yourself about at time recently when someone went out of their way for you. It can be something diminutive or it can be something on a larger scale, but these actions and expressions are usually unexpected and make for a pleasant surprise to those around you.

The most important thing to remember is that doing something a little added and extra shouldn’t be something you should think twice about. Where does this extra mile come from? It comes from you! When passing through each day of your life, your attitude and mindset should always be attuned with this type of thinking, as it will reflect in the way people view you on both a personal and professional level as. Success in any facet of life isn’t attained by being ordinary. It is only by exceeding expectations and standing out that will help you be on the fast track to getting noticed. The fundamental principal in the ‘extra’ mile dynamic is in your prevailing attitude regardless of what the situation has to offer. If you can find the opportunity in any situation, good or bad, to look at the glass half full, that alone will separate you from the rest.

A good example of this is to consider the art and act of customer service. Nowadays, it seems that the emphasis on most businesses is placed more on the visual attraction factor than on the service and customer relations aspect. Think about the last few times you had someone help you or take your order whether it was at a restaurant, shopping center, car repair shop, or fitness facility… How were you greeted? WERE you even greeted? Do you feel you were catered to and that the employee you were in contact with made you feel important? Were there any special touches added to enhance your experience? Did that person go the ‘extra’ mile? More often than not, the answer to all these questions is a big ‘No’. The sad reality of it all is that these days we have grown so accustomed to being treated this way that it is now ‘socially acceptable’ for an experience to lack any customer service or unexpected pleasantries. I, for one, hardly even expect it anymore and I’m sure when you think about it, you’ll feel quite similarly.

Working in the healthcare industry, where the focal point is on providing and bestowing customers, clients, and patients with service, I never cease to be amazed at how the focus very seldom tends to revolve around the customer, client or patient. It seems that so many healthcare ‘providers’ forget that their career rests not on providing themselves, but on the individuals who come to them for help and to improve an aspect of their life that they aren’t knowledgeable about, or can’t and don’t have the motivation to do themselves. The potential client isn’t seeking you for YOU, they are seeking your expertise, your knowledge, your experience, your help, your advice, your answers, your heart, your trust and your willingness to be a provider to them. Never forget why you got into this field as without your clients, patients and customers… there is no work and definitely no ‘career’. If you entered into this field for YOU, turn around right now and exit immediately because this is NOT about you and it never WILL be about you.

A classic example I run into almost everyday (and one you have all heard or seen before) is right at the gym I, myself, train at. Just the other day when I was there (typically, I am there at or around the same times each day and see the same trainers working as well), I saw the ‘Infamous’ trainer I just love to constantly revert back to. Once again, he was with a new client who looked in obvious need of a lifestyle change. She was very overweight and very awkward when it came to how she was training and it was pretty evident working out was completely new and foreign to her. The trainer, on the other hand, could have cared less and found more interest in watching the silent football game highlights replaying on ESPN on TV than in the fact that his client was practically vying for injury with her horrible, uncorrected form and posture, accidental Valsalva maneuver, and inability to lift the too-heavy weight he had handed her. The only time his eyes would divert from the TV or his arms would uncross from across his chest was when his phone would go off and he’d actually LEAVE his client’s side to text or talk. (F.Y.I. to Potential Clients and Faithful Readers: If your trainer EVER finds texting or ESPN more important than you… it is absolutely time for a new trainer.) Just as well, this sad excuse of a ‘trainer’ must have yawned once every five or so minutes. This is just unacceptable and each time I see this happen, I feel my blood pressure rise and the need to rip out my hair is almost unbearable. Although I find it absolutely appalling and atrocious to watch, I also get a tremendous amount of motivation and a reality check as to why I am in this industry and why it’s so important to speak up about these issues. No one deserves to be treated like this and it makes me sick to my stomach that they are sharing the same job title as me and the genuine people around me, and that they are getting a paycheck for treating people this way. I admit, when I am at a gym, I watch what goes on around me and I let it make me a better person, professional and healthcare provider (…and I remind myself to have faith that someday an end will be put to this eventually.) You should too.

Going the extra mile doesn’t have to be something extravagant or something you have to have to go out of your way to do. As you can see in the example above, being ‘extra’ordinary is sometimes as simple as just doing what’s expected of you. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s a sad thing, but the most mediocre and common gestures you wouldn’t normally think twice about are less common than you think these days, and going the extra mile doesn’t have to constitute much in most cases. Simple things like being appreciative or saying ‘Thank You’, smiling or waving, and just carrying a positive attitude are all small things that take absolutely no effort on our behalf to do. Holding a door, helping someone to pick up something they dropped, or just paying attention to your client for an hour of time they are paying you for. Why is this so difficult for some people to do?

On the other side of the spectrum, I have learned to take these events and turn them into appreciation and gratitude for the people who are constantly going the extra mile each and everyday. I meet these people regularly and am surrounded by them on a daily basis as well. I have the honor of working with the most influential, positive and amazing people I could ever hope to meet who consistently give their all to each and every person they come in contact with. These people devote their lives to other helping others and to give and share their talents and experience to the people who seek their expertise in those specific areas. It is truly humbling to be around people who go out on a limb every chance they get to make a difference in the lives of each person they touch. They live by their own example and treat people the way they would like to be treated. They are in this industry for OTHERS and give selflessly in lieu of the people they are dedicated to servicing. These are the true ‘professionals’ in the industry and they are the ones who make themselves stand out simply by doing what is expected and then adding their own special touch. One of my former Fitness Managers was a perfect example of this analogy. An amazing trainer already, his added touch to every session was such a simple gesture that he was specifically known for around the facility. I even was told about this during my initial training. His extra mile?... Waiting for each of his clients before the hour. At the door. Before each session. Then walking them to the door, and opening the door for them proceeding each session. He was always on it, never late, always smiling and always anxious to meet and greet each client when they walked through the door. And I kid you not… He was praised to no end because of this and people actually recognized this about him and spread the word.

Faithful Reader, it doesn’t take a lot to go the ‘extra’ mile, but the sad part is; few of us ever dare to go beyond what is expected of us. Think for yourself about the situations, people and places you have experienced and think about the special touches that you have encountered personally. Now ask yourself how these situations resonated with you. How did you feel after the experience and was it not unforgettable? Would you rather revisit a place that hardly acknowledged you and/or treated you poorly, or one that made you feel like you mattered and that you were important? Well… this is EXACTLY the same for you versus the rest of the world. There are thousands upon thousands of people in your profession right now. Why should people come see you when they can go anywhere else and receive at least mediocre service? How are you going to make yourself stand out?

The difference between going the extra mile and not is pretty small, but that little push can honestly make so much difference in your personal and professional life. In fact… Your career could depend on it. What’s going to separate you from the rest, and are you willing to go down the road less traveled?

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.” –Charles Francis Adams

“The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does.” –Napoleon Hill

“Don’t be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead wins the race.” –Andrew Carnegie

You're Only As...?...As the Company You Keep

2009-10-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Batman. Superman. The President. Your teacher or ‘invisible’ friend. Michael Jordan. Your Mom. Your Dad, brother. Your sister… Who was your ideal role model growing up, and what qualities did they possess that inspired you? Better yet… How did you emulate that inspiration, with which you desired to become, to help foster the person you are today?

Being so heavily involved in an industry where your career rests not on the best way to benefit yourself, but how you can channel your gift of giving in lieu of helping and benefitting others, it is virtually impossible to not experience the greatest inspiration and gratitude each and every day. The honor of meeting so many amazing professionals who so selflessly profess such immense passion toward their dedication of giving all they can tender to make the lives of those around them a better place is enough to bring tears to your eyes. The immeasurable graciousness I have had the honor of observing each day has made it impossible to not desire to be a better person and to follow in their footsteps by reaching out to grasp as many desperate hands as possible. To say I am not exposed to many ‘role models’ would be an absolute lie, as I can easily say it is no accident that I have made the conscious decision, effort and choice to surround myself with those people whom I look up to and wish to emulate someday in my own life and career.

A difficult lesson to learn, where the solution is often easier said than done, is that we are only as good as the company we keep. Who we choose to surround ourselves with often says more about us to others than what we may actually be doing alone in our spare time. To put it in perspective, think about it for yourself… If you meet a person whom you think you’ll grow to enjoy, yet all the people they choose to associate with have bad intentions and aren’t the best influences, isn’t it natural to directly correlate those associations into your first impressions of this person? Would you not assume that maybe this person has similar attributes as the people they keep close? Hypothetically speaking, would you surround yourself with people who have qualities in which you didn’t stand by or believe in? Probably not, as you would be more apt to let those into your life-space who share similar beliefs and goals as yourself to enhance and compliment you and your life. With that said and done, is it not safe to assume that this correlation is no accident?

Let’s take it a step further in another example: Consider wanting to improve your skills in any given sport. What would benefit you more? Practicing with someone who plays worse than you, or with someone who is at least twice as good as you? The answer is obvious, right? Well, life isn’t much different when you step back and take in the big picture. When you surround yourself with people who strive for greatness, are at least twice as successful as you may be and who stand by the same beliefs, passions and goals as you, it can be easier to ultimately get to where you want to be in life. You will have an experienced pair of footsteps to follow in each day and, more often than not, you can take up extensive short-cuts through the words of wisdom given by these individuals to help get to your destination much more efficiently than having to learn the hard way. With the help of someone who has been in your shoes and who reached success, you have the opportunity to learn from these individuals the lessons they had to learn the hard way, or lessons passed down to them from THEIR mentors or role models. It is, essentially, one of the most valuable things you can do to get from point A to point B, and beyond. We always have to remember and keep in mind that there is truly no such thing as a self-made man. And those who think they can and will do it solely on their own will have an almost impossible journey to succumb to. Regardless of whether the influence of another human being was studied up close and personal by physically being around the person and having access to direct communication with them in this point in time, or whether the method used to learn was indirect and from afar through studying autobiographies, latest research, articles, books, TV appearances, magazines, interviews, etc. done with that person, you are still being ‘mentored’ from afar as you are basing your own experiences off this other individual’s present, past and future practices and experiences. Who better to learn from than those people who have been in your position and who understand what you are going through and what you WILL go through in the future? If you are still in disbelief about this fact, I want you to ask yourself how you went through each stage of life growing up… Did you really depend on no one to teach you how to say and write the alphabet? Who taught you how to ride your first two-wheeler? How did you learn the English language and how did you later pass chemistry? And of your talent playing the piano? What about how you want to raise your own children? You see; we live through life learning through others examples, experiences and words. It’s no mistake that this method has helped us get to where we are right now and that it will continue to help us grow in the future. We all have had inspiration to help us grow, and we have all had to depend on others in some fashion or degree to help get us there. With that said and done, is it no wonder that discontinuing this proven method would be foolish? When you get right down to it, this is something we have ALL proven effective and we can ALL attest that it works… So why stop now?

In my life everyday, I am always encouraging those around me to reach out and grasp the hands of those they look up to and those who are willing to help (and I am telling you… you will very, very rarely, if EVER, find an unwilling hand if you are genuine and stand by your good intentions and inquiries). Meeting good people and holding on to good people are two key things to aspire to do on a daily basis. I, for one, know I wouldn’t be in this exact moment right now had I not tried to reach out to the people I met and immediately looked up to. The greatest successes of my life so far I can dedicate to the many individuals who helped me to see to the ‘impossible’ and who raised the bar so I could fly higher. I always, always advocate this to those around me and will continue to do so for however long I am granted this amazing opportunity to help have an impact on the people I meet as I climb my own ladders, steps and pillars.

Just this past week, while talking with a co-worker about this very subject, I expressed my complete admiration for a world-renowned fitness, wellness and health professional that I have invested a great deal of time into studying over the course of my career who has had a tremendous impact on me as a professional without even knowing it. I went on and on about this admiration until she stopped me and said, “So… Have you contacted him to tell him this?”, and I completely stopped in my tracks. “No.” I said, and right then I had a really strange and inspiring epiphany that I hadn’t even thought of prior. Here I was advocating to everyone around me about reaching out and staying in contact with the people they admire most and I wasn’t even fully living my own example. Granted, the people I have personally met and reached out to I have stuck by like glue and I will continue to do so for the duration of my life and career, but what about the people you admire that you don’t have the convenience of meeting on a daily basis? How do you possibly connect with someone who seems as out of reach and up the chain as Spiderman himself? I thought to myself, “Is it possible that I am putting a limitation on myself with something that may be so seemingly simple to achieve?”… “Hmm… Where’s the loophole?”.

That night, I wrote my own role model a long message via internet expressing my admiration, my epiphany, and how delighted I would be to meet him if the opportunity could ever (even in the slightest) be possible. Sure enough, the very next day I received a gracious letter in return expressing many thanks, kind comments and a phone number to call since he doesn’t reside in Vegas. Wow. Words to begin a connection through conversation. I couldn’t (and still can’t) describe my excitement regarding the matter and how immensely uncomplicated it was to just simply reach out and, if nothing else, let somebody know how they have influenced you. Rarely will you find someone who isn’t happy to continue to make a greater difference than they have already. Almost always, the people who have gone to the top and beyond realized the point I am making in the article and acted on it. More often than not, these same people who received so much help will also be the first ones to continue following in their mentor’s shoes by helping others who look up to them.

Giving is a precious (and contagious) gift that tends to go full circle in the long run. If you fear taking the chance to reach out thinking you won’t get anywhere, try this thought on for size: In knowing no man is ‘self-made’ and that success breeds success through example, hard work, repetition and so forth, remember that your ‘idols’ have worked so hard to emulate their own idols, and therefore have seen the true value of what ‘giving’ can accomplish. This, in turn, will lead them to continue following the cycle originally led by the people they looked up to, and they will, therefore, be the first ones to take a step down to help you take a step up. It is such a simple concept that I believe we read into a little too much when the answer was already evident to begin with. What do you have to lose when reaching out and what’s the worst that could happen? As I always, always say and will continue to say: Don’t be afraid to try something new or to take a risk. We are given this one amazing life to live to the fullest and to live by being the best we can with what we have. We might not have everything or all the answers, but most of the time we can find someone or a few people who might be able to teach us a thing or two or at least guide us in the right direction to find what it is we are striving for. Life is too short as it is. If you can take a short-cut or two here and there, take advantage of the opportunity and give it back in return when the right time comes along.

One of the greatest benefits of surrounding yourself with the people you admire most, and people who have captured your attention in regards to where they are at in life, is the amazing prospect of learning something new each day. When you are encased in a circle of people who are at or below your level, you have no room to grow and no hopes to aspire to reach. You will never learn how to progress through the different stages of your career and you will never have a willing hand reaching down from above to grasp ahold of you and lift you higher. You will be just as successful as the company you keep.

In my short time here in Las Vegas, I have had the incredible opportunity of reaching out to so many wonderful and inspiring professionals from all over the Valley through working at a few different facilities around the city as well as through my work in Connect To Fitness. Each week, I am being introduced to some of the most awe-inspiring people I have ever had the honor of meeting and I can say without guilt and with complete honesty that the quality of my life has done nothing but improve by the day. When you are constantly encompassed by your dreams, goals and the people who are willing to bring you up past your ‘limitations’, your life as you know it will change immensely… for the better. Get out and strive to meet the people who will help You reach your quality of life, Faithful Reader, and see how rapidly the transformation begins!

In this one life, we are only given a short chance to make a change, a difference and an influence. Let those who inspire you lead you to your goals and aspirations through example and approach and follow them without fear or discontent. In a world where so many people need our help, is it no wonder we should willingly extend our hand to reach out and make the most of our time here together?

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Very few men are wise by their own counsel, or learned by their own teaching. For he that was only taught by himself had a fool for his master.” –Ben Johnson

“No matter how lofty you are in your department, the responsibility for what your lowliest assistant is doing is yours.” -Bessie Lowland James

“The most important single influence in the life of a person is another person... who is worthy of emulation.” -Paul D. Shafer

“I think it's an honor to be a role model to one person or maybe more than that. If you are given a chance to be a role model, I think you should always take it because you can influence a person's life in a positive light, and that's what I want to do. That's what it's all about.” –Tiger Woods

Regret Me Not

2009-09-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Stop for just a moment and look back on the past 24 hours of your life. Evaluate all your actions, your motives, your decisions, your accomplishments and what you may have put off until tomorrow. Ask yourself, “How am I going to feel tomorrow about today?”

Think about today as a day you can never return to and in tomorrow as a day too late. As decisions are made in a day’s time and throughout your life, take time to ask yourself how you will proceed to feel about your decision 5, 10, 20 or even 50 years down the road. We are all given the gift of living in the moment, and it is our choice and our choice alone, that will dictate what our future beholds and what will defy who we are and who we become.

Upon recently having a great conversation with someone I love deeply about life and about events (both fortunate and unfortunate) that have helped to create the mold to which we both exist, the thought occurred, “If a person is at one with who they are and can say with an honest heart that they are proud of who they have become, then can ‘regret’ in its truest form be said to exist?”… I stopped to look at my own life right in the midst of the conversation and couldn’t help but smile to myself in where my own journey took me. Being an ‘un’believer in the act of ‘regret’ to begin with, I began to consider all the tragedy and misfortunes (in or out of my control) that have happened in spite of myself and in spite of what I may have been striving for and began pondering the subject matter further…

By feeling regret for past or present actions or inactions, it places a mental boundary on where you are today and where you are striving to go tomorrow. You are never fully able to progress past that point in time, and you stay locked in what ‘could have been’ instead of what ‘is’ or ‘could be’ as a result of that particular situation. To feel as if you are pressed between two thick walls of regret that are holding you back from moving forward will cause you to do just that… stay idle.

Feelings, in general, are involuntary. What does this mean, you ask? Well, have you ever said to yourself or to someone else that someone or something is the cause of or to blame for your happiness, sadness, anger, disposition… etc? To put it in perspective; although these people, places or things may have had an impact on you and may influence your feelings, we are the only ones who are capable of extracting these feelings and bringing them to life both physically and mentally. It can be difficult to realize, but we voluntarily make a conscious decision to choose our emotions and to choose how we are going to react to any given situation. These situations can make endless attempts at penetrating through our surfaces and walls of protection, but only we can let them in and only we can allow their influences to impart on our mental and physical well-being.

It’s easier said than done, but it is important to realize this fact in every circumstance you encounter as you have every right to oppose the emotions of any external force that may wish to inflict regret over you. Those who are stuck in regret constantly use these emotions as an excuse to not accept what has happened or is happening and they create a wall (or ‘boundary’, if you will) that prevents them from being able to access the ability to grow from the situation. Think about it… What if we all made a conscious effort to choose our emotions and what we let get to us, instead of impulsively reacting to a scenario? By realizing that we are what we choose to be and by taking the time to listen for the ‘reason’ in each situation, we can then take what happened and assess the stipulation to work out in our favor. In all that we do, there is always a lesson to be learned and a way to grow physically and emotionally to benefit our present and future. Without the negative and bad aspects of life, we could never learn to recognize and appreciate the positive or good things. Without sadness or despair, we wouldn’t know just how wonderful a dusting of happiness could feel.

One of the things I have learned about regrets is, simply, not to have them. I view regret not only as a negative connotation, but also as a burden, or weight, that stays centered on our lives and won’t budge. As I was conversing with my loved one and taking all this in, I was once again reminded of why I regret nothing that has ever happened to me. Sure, I will be the first to admit that I have made some mistakes as big as my accomplishments, and that have I allowed other people more time than they deserved to treat me just as bad as I knew I should be treated good. I know I have caused hurt to others and I know I’m not perfect. But, that’s not the point. By stepping back and looking at exactly where my feet are planted in the sand at this very moment in time, I can look at all these events and know that I wouldn’t be standing in this very spot right now if even one of them hadn’t occurred. In the midst of all the hurt, pain and suffering I may have encountered on my life path, I can now say I have never been happier and that I know the worst is over as I have lived and learned and know I am now in complete control of my destiny. I also know that the people whom I have affected and the people who have affected me wouldn’t be where they were if not for the interactions we had together, whether bad or good. And you can even look at it a step further in that the people associated with THOSE people wouldn’t be where they are at either had such events never occurred. It is quite a humbling and mind-boggling concept to take in and grasp when you really allow yourself to get submerged in the theory.

Reminiscing upon certain events of my past, I remember, sitting back and just wondering, ‘Why? Why me?” I remember thinking that I would never get through the situation and that life definitely would never be the same. I can remember wishing so deeply and profoundly that I would give anything to go back and alter what had happened. The truth is, time will never stop ticking, and life will never stand still for anyone. Just as well, we can never return to a moment despite what the outcome is. Apart from what we choose to do, or what others choose to do, need not matter. Pick your feet up, lift your chin, and let each moment influence you to do better next time, to not make the same mistake again, to be proud and rejoice, to take it all in and savor it, to become a better person as a result, or to thank the person next to you for helping you discover something new about yourself. If you cannot return to change something from your past, there is no point in wasting precious time wishing for the impossible. Nothing from this moment on is impossible and why should we expend more time generating more possible regrets by regretting what we ‘should have done’. This is like an alcoholic who is so depressed about being an alcoholic (and all the issues that come along with it…) that he goes out to drink his sorrows away each night. Now, does this make any sense when you look at it from this perspective? Didn’t think so. So, WHY spend your time wallowing in what ‘could have been’, when you could be using that valuable time (you will later regret wasting) to do something productive that CAN be done?

Simply, life is too short as it is. Life isn’t forever and each moment is here, gone, and in the history books. The story of your life is exactly what you make of it each day. It is written based off your perceptions, your realities, your emotions and your burdens and regrets.

Live and learn and make the best of each day as one day your time will stop ticking all together. Make memories, not regrets and let your life aspire to greatness with each passing event. How will YOUR today look from tomorrow’s standpoint? Your future begins with You.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." -Author Unknown, from Dreams

“Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.” -Henry David Thoreau

“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” –Johnathan Larson

“Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the idle, useless regretting.” –Arthur Brisbane

Sustain and Make Green Your Health and Your Life

2009-09-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Did you know?...

Most people use 50-70 gallons of water every day in their homes?

Or that:

American households spend over $1,000 annually on electricity?

Or how about:

Cars release 98 tons of fossil fuels into the air for every gallon of gas?

Energy is a facet of our lives that most of us don’t think twice about. As we hear, learn and read about the simple ways to help the environment by conserving energy, the simple fact is that most of us will not act on the advice given unless it comes down to be affected personally. And ladies and gentlemen… that time isn’t too far off in the distance.

Walking into Studio 222 Personal Training Centers here in Las Vegas (right on the corner of W Flamingo and Durango), for our September Health Fair and Connect To Fitness Event you would never know just by looking all the work that went into making this amazing facility environmentally friendly and as green as grass. As owner and innovator of this ‘green’ facility, James Wong went above and beyond to make his facility sustainable to the environment, and it’s definitely getting noticed.

With the biggest turn-out yet at one of our events, there was much to rejoice about at James’s studio. Having just picked up an entire cooler filled to the brim with smoothies donated from the Tropical Smoothie Café, I walked in (fashionably late due to a mishap) and was just astonished at the amount of people who filled the modest space of the private training studio. As I walked into the lobby, dragging the cooler behind me, I noticed food plates stacked with delectable yet healthy food options placed all around the studio. Right away my mind reverted to James’s Registered Dietician, Angelique Marquez, who has a really fascinating and alternative approach to the art of nutrition (if you don’t know her… do yourself a favor and GET to know her). So, needless to say, I grabbed a plate and took advantage of the quinoa dish she had prepared (which was aMAZing).

After laying my belongings down, my eyes diverted to the familiar faces of my colleagues, coworkers and friends from both the Professional Fitness Institute and Club Ridges as well as to the many new faces that were first-time CTF guests. James’s 3,300 sq. ft. studio was filled with activity, conversation, laughter and networking and I overheard and was a part of a great many conversations based around job connections. It was definitely a productive few hours!

With three prize giveaways amounting easily to a couple thousand dollars, we had one each hour, on the hour, Darian and myself had a blast handing out the generous prizes donated by many of our sponsors (including PFI and Lulu Lemon), Red Rock, Hara, and, of course, James’s amazing employees. Half hour and hour massages were given away via Lifan at Bodywork LV as well as two vouchers good for three FREE personal training sessions with personal trainer, Tracy. Also given away was a free nutrition consultation with Angelique, a free yoga class with Studio 222’s Registered Yoga Teacher David Oliphant (who is just incredible), $200.00 worth of free clothing from Lulu Lemon as well as two bags stuffed with goodies from PFI. The raffles are always one of my favorite parts of our events as it’s so humbling to see the faces of the prize recipients! As James took the floor during our first giveaway, he explained how he was able to be so successful in establishing a ‘green’ facility. Per his introduction and his website (www.studio222lasvegas.com), James went on to explain how he used repurposed wood in building his foundations, how he created (out of a refurbished and broken cooler) a large cabinet with reach-in bins for clients and guests to leave their belongings while training, how the mats under the workout equipment is made of recycled rubber, how he uses Earth-friendly cleaning products and how the paints he used in his facility are non-toxic and low in VOC’s. James also rarely turns on the overhead lights in the ceiling unless it’s too dark outside to see, and he tries never to use the air conditioning and instead relies on a few ceiling fans to cool the place down. Although he may have initially invested a little more in the beginning to ensure a sustainable environment, the financial payoff has been immensely successful for James in the long-run.

Snapping photos and mingling myself, I walked over to Lifan Hung, (an amazing friend, professional and person), and snapped a photo of her with a few guests and professionals at the event. Lifan is a Licensed Massage Therapist who also specializes in Kinesio Taping, which is a technique used to give your joints and muscles stability using your body’s own natural healing processes without affecting circulation or range of motion. If you were to watch the Olympics or any professional sports, you will see its prevalence within the athletic population. It’s a really neat and unfortunately uncommon technique that Lifan has given rise to making available to the Las Vegas community.

Walking around further, I couldn’t help but to stop and admire the amazing facility created by James. With minimal exercise modalities typically found in ‘typical’ gyms, James’s trainers utilize numerous functional training modalities within the studio. You will see functional trainers, a TRX Suspension Training System, a heavy bag and gloves, yoga mats (and a great instructor!), resistance bands, stability and Bosu balls, wobble boards, kettlebells, dumbbells, and many other practical and functional equipment not characteristic of many other facilities. The clients at 222 have the option of being exposed to many different aspects of their fitness and it isn’t common for almost every client to jump into a yoga session during their week of training, or to take time out to learn some boxing. The awesome thing is that James understands that fitness isn’t one dimensional and that you can progress more efficiently when you incorporate and put focus on every dimension of fitness including balance, coordination, strength, flexibility and so on. The diversity within the staff is very accommodating for helping clients reach their maximum potential. This studio is particularly neat to scope out as a trainer as there are so many tools to utilize and play with!

As the event progressed, the crowd continued to grow as the food slowly began to dwindle. Thanks to Angelique and Metro Pizza (who made a menu of appetizers specific to the needs of the event), everyone had the option of sampling some amazing and healthy dishes with all the flavor and no guilt! As I continued to make my way through socializing with the guests, I came across a couple familiar faces whom I hadn’t previously had the honor of meeting… the Sin City Socialites (GET to know these two girls. They are amazing.)! After coming into Studio 222 to do one of their infamous ‘reviews’, the Socialites returned to make a cameo at our event and were just a delight! If you haven’t read their review on 222, check them out on Blogspot (http://sinctysocialite.blogspot.com/)!

After socializing with the Socialites, I noticed some yoga action going on in one of the corners of the studio as David, the yoga instructor, was giving demonstrations to attendees of the event! How spectacular! David is amazing at his craft and specializes in hatha yoga in particular. He actually teaches the performers of Las Vegas’s amazing and popular show Le Reve. He is also teaches at other various venues in town and does private consulting with clients as well. You can learn more about David by visiting his website (www.yogawithdavid.com).

Over on the cardio equipment behind me was Jake Sanders, who was on a stationary bike that is actually interactive like a video game. To keep exercisers interested, you can watch the screen in front of you and race the computer, yourself, or (if you have another bike on hand) another person! I guarantee you won’t find this at any chain fitness facilities! As everyone crowded around Jake (who was having fun racing in his dressy street clothes), James carefully instructed and cheered him on along with the rest of the people looking over Jake’s shoulder. I smiled to myself as it is always such a great feeling to see others having so much fun and enjoying themselves.

Up to the front was a station set up by Adam Goodman, who was reaching out and letting people know about a great company he works for called Melaleuca (http://www.melaleuca.com/). Melaleuca is an all natural, organic based company which prides itself on being environmentally friendly in each of it’s products. James currently utilizes cleaning products from this company as well to enhance the sustainability of his facility.

With so much going on, it was a wonder that we got so much accomplished in three hours! After the third prize-giveaway, Darian made a final thank-you announcement addressed to everyone and, of course, kept the party entertaining by dancing right in the middle of the studio!

If you have yet to come experience an event, you should absolutely do yourself a favor and jump on board with CTF. Always a fantastic time and always progressing and striving for greatness on new levels, Connect To Fitness has successfully become the premier networking group for fitness, wellness and health professionals in the Las Vegas Valley. Yesterday, alone, spawned job connections and opportunities between a good number of guests who attended the event. I, alone, experienced a couple, which I am really excited to share with you in the future!

Thank you to all who attended and to all of our supporters and sponsors who have been with us since the beginning of our journey. The event at Studio 222 is proof of our growing success and following and we would love for you to join in as we continue our involvement in taking steps forward to make the world a better place and to connect the right people together to accomplish common goals.

The Earth around us can be sustained and helped so easily by the little things we can do to make a difference in creating a sustainable environment. On the flipside, the people who live in this world can also benefit immensely from the small changes we, as professionals, can make together to enhance our careers to, therefore, enhance the lives of those who need us. Don’t just stand there… get up, get out and make a difference.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all.” -Robert Orben

“Modern technology,
Owes ecology,
An apology.” -Alan M. Eddison

“Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us.” -Henrik Tikkanen

“The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.” -Ralph Nader, quoted in Linda Botts, ed., Loose Talk, 1980

Life Is Like a Box of (Tainted) Chocolates

2009-09-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

I can’t help but to be concerned…

“Aly Diabate, who is from Mali, was eleven years old when he was lured in Mali by a slave trader to go work on an Ivorian farm. The locater told him that not only would he receive a bicycle, but he could also help his parents with the $150 he would earn. However life on the cocoa farm of "Le Gros" (or "Big Man") was nothing like Aly had imagined. He and the other workers had to work from six in the morning to about 6:30 at night on the cocoa fields. Since Aly was only about four feet tall, the bags of cocoa beans were taller than him. To be able to carry and transport the bags, other people would have to place the bags onto his head for him. Because the bags were so heavy, he had trouble carrying them and always fell down. The farmer would beat him until he stood back up and lifted the bag again. Aly was beaten the most because the farmer accused him of never working hard enough. The little boy still has the scars left from the bike chains and cocoa tree branches that Le Gros used. He and the other slaves were not fed well either. They had to subsist on a few burnt bananas.”… (-http://www1.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm)

I don’t know about you, but I have felt pretty disgusted with the ‘news’ being portrayed and broadcast in our country. The above paragraph is real. Human trafficking takes place under our noses each and every day while thousands upon thousands of children are abducted and/or tricked into slavery and others are actually sold to laborers by their own parents for extra money… many of these children are as young as 4 and 5 years old.

Working from dusk until dawn, these children perform brutal labor under horrific conditions that lead to thousands of deaths a year. Just as well, they are beaten, rarely fed and are locked up each night like wild animals to prevent escape. Not to mention medical help is nearly nonexistent. What is the purpose for all this, you ask? One word…. Chocolate.

As I watched the news the other day (which I have resorted to rarely doing), all I saw and continue to be broadcast for the world to see are issues such as Michael Jackson, Michael Vick, Brett Favre and this supposed hermaphroditic Olympian (which, yes… I admit IS interesting). My point, however, is that even by watching the news, I feel as if I am being jaded by the actual ‘real’ issues plaguing the world. Sure, hearing about the death of Michael Jackson and the return of Brett Favre both in one year is attention-grabbing… but only for a moment. It seems the media has made American’s so incredibly naïve to what is REALLY going on the world that most people don’t even have a clue about these concentration-camp-like environments that people and people’s children right at this moment are living and fighting to survive in. Look at your children, or any child you love dearly, and imagine them at 5 years old harvesting cocoa beans so more developed countries can pay a pretty penny to indulge in products they worked themselves to death to produce for us. Imagine these children we love being fed next to nothing and having to survive often-times off corn paste for their only meals.

Cote d'Ivoire is a country that is historically known for their dependence on being economically stable through their reliance on exports. Particularly the cocoa bean. Because cocoa is an unstable commodity due to ever-changing market prices, local farmers are constantly on the look-out for ways to cut labor fees… even at the cost of a life. Presently, Cote d'Ivoire leads the world in cocoa bean exports by 43%, and the U.S. alone spends over $13 BILLION dollars per year on chocolate and is the leading importer of cocoa beans in the WORLD. Try that on for size next time you take a bit of that Hershey bar!

Although we are alone but one person, there are little things that each of us can do that will collectively help such a horrific cause. Think of that $13 billion dollars we spend per year on chocolate; if each of us chose not to purchase chocolate from those companies who are supporting Cote d’lvoire by receiving exports from them. Think if each of us chose to only to buy our chocolate bars and confections from companies who support only traffik-free chocolate. It would ultimately force bigger companies Cadbury's, Ben and Jerry's, Hershey’s, Godiva, Kraft, Nestle, See's, Toblerone, Guittard…. And the list goes on!) to rethink their options in regards to purchasing, and it would force local farmers in Cote d’lvoire to rethink their harsh and inhumane policies as their profits decline.

It is estimated that only a measly 1% of chocolate exported in the world is Fair Trade (child-labor free). I find that absolutely astonishing and repulsive that the United States of America who in no way, shape or form ‘supports’ slavery would be a chief importer of such commodities. Imagine if this 1% (with the help of all of us) could rise to 10%, or 20%, or 50%! By, instead, supporting companies such as Dunkin Donuts, Fred Meyer, H E B, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Starbucks, Safeway (includes Tom Thumb), Target, and Trader Joe's (who all use Fair Trade chocolate), we can make a hefty contribution in helping to put an end to child-labor in the chocolate industry. It wouldn’t take hardly any effort on our behalf, and each of these places can be of easy convenience to most of us. It’s the little things in life that sometimes make the biggest impact. Sure, single-handedly we aren’t quite as capable as we could be united, but if we all did our part to create a unity, there is far more hope than if we just sit back and let this happen. Look for the logo of the third party certifier, Trans-Fair Company, on chocolate products to assure that no child labor was involved in production. Organic chocolate, as well, is considered Fair Trade as it isn’t produced or manufactured in areas prevailing in child labor.

Although I have brought up a very important cause that deserves our attention, this is by no means the only or biggest issue plaguing the world today. All around us and no where near us are issues that are putting the lives of large populations at risk and are, in turn, putting the future of the world in jeopardy. While we sit here complaining of our ‘long’ day of work while our children are safe, sound, unharmed and fed in their cozy beds, thousands upon thousands of other children and families are being plagued with malnourishment, slavery, abuse and torture, no work or being worked to death, and no roof over their heads. There are yet others who are suffering from disease, illness, and/or injury with no help or no cure. Others, still, are fighting overseas for our freedom, separated from family, friends, children and relatives. Not to mention issues affecting us globally such as global warming, the war on oil, the economy, wars between countries, energy conservation, healthcare, etc. Open your eyes to your surroundings and look outside the box that has been neatly packaged for your viewing pleasure. There are so many things we can do on our own to help in little ways with these issues and as I mentioned above, it doesn’t take much effort to support even just one of these concerns.

Pick a cause you believe in and stand by it. Do small things that don’t make time to make a difference. Turn off the electricity when you aren’t using it. Don’t litter. Recycle. Walk locally for a cause you believe in. Give blood. Donate clothes or a little money to a cause. Ride your bike or commute more often. Don’t smoke. Exercise. Educate someone else on something you are passionate about. Buy organic food. Don’t eat Cadbury Cream Eggs….

The list goes on! But my point is that the world is going to spin regardless of what we do to it. It will keep turning and time will keep ticking away, counting down to eternity. But HOW well and efficiently Earth’s counterparts act is in our hands. The more we let time slip away without taking action, the more we will have to worry about in the future. Instead of investing your time into worrying how Michael Jackson ‘really’ died, pay attention to the issues below the surface that are plaguing so many thousands and millions of people. Be proactive and take a few minutes of your time to be grateful for the life you are living and help support those who aren’t as fortunate. Life doesn’t have to be a selfish endeavor and I can guarantee you that the time invested into making small contributions will come around full circle. Without being said, being selfless in the act of giving is always self-gratifying. There is truly nothing more humbling and awe-inspiring than giving without expectations. Try it for yourself and see if you don’t feel just a little bit better about your day and yourSELF. We are all capable of doing great things. Or… let me rephrase that: We are all capable of doing greatER things. And we should live up to that potential not only by taking care of ourselves, but by taking care of the world and those around us.

With that being said, our main prerogative in forming Connect To Fitness is to give those of you the opportunity to be helped, to help others, and to give back to the community. We wanted to form a network where healthcare providers, professionals and those aspiring to be either/or have an outlet where they are able to band together in helping to make the industry and the world more efficient TOGETHER. There is a ton we can do on our own, but with the help of others and with each other, we can accomplish even more by being better, faster and stronger in our endeavors. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity that is right at your disposal.

Open your eyes and let in the light the next time you watch the watered-down news played over and over again and each time you long to pick up that Hershey Bar. Don’t shield yourself and open your heart and mind to looking beneath the surface. Many people need our help and what we do here and now dictates the future of you, me, them… and the world.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” -H.E. Luccock

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there.” -Virginia Burden

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” –Winston Churchill

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” –Mother Theresa

Always Looking Up

2009-09-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

“Why the long face?”, I asked the guest walking into the fitness facility who was looking down and who also appeared distraught.

To this, the guest sighed and replied, “Well… I had to work today (…pause… looking at me as if this explains everything…), THEN I realized I forgot my sneakers and had to go ALL the way home (…another pause… waiting for the world to pause in astonishment and pity…), THEN when I went home to get my sneakers I got talked into picking up my daughter from her tennis lesson (…pause… the Earth shatters into a million pieces…), THEN after I picked her up I had to go ALL the way BACK home to drop her off before coming to the gym (…one last pause… waiting for my reaction…).”

Throughout the duration of this conversation, I couldn’t help but NOT feel pity or sympathy for this person after being informed of the ‘misfortunes’ they had experienced. Now, before you question where this is going and ask “Why?” I felt this way; I want to share with you another event that happened on the same exact day…

I was just leaving the gym and I noticed in passing a middle-aged man sitting on the lat-pulldown machine who smiled and waved at me in my hurried frenzy to leave and get going with the rest of my day. Being in ‘the zone’, I almost didn’t see him, but had managed to look up just in time after turning off my IPOD. I stopped mid-stride, waved back, and walked over to greet him.

“Hi! How are you?”, I asked as I reached my hand out to shake his.

As I got closer and right before he answered, I realized this man was wheelchair-bound and disabled (and very likely completely paralyzed) from the waist down.

“I am doing just wonderful, my dear,” he exclaimed, “as it is always a great day when you wake up and realize you are alive!”

Right at this moment I thought to myself, ‘Why is it that the consensus I am being exposed to appears to be that the people who have the most to be grateful for are the ones who always have their chins down, while so many of the most inspirational people I meet are in dispositions that not many people could endure?’.

Now, I’m not stereotyping everyone as I have seen first-hand the exact opposite scenario happen as well. I guess just having gone through one extreme to the next within such a short time-frame with two totally different people in two entirely different ‘predicaments’, it had caused my cranium to consider this thought and to think about how often we all come in contact with similar situations on a daily basis.

Think back on the last occasion where you made acquaintances with numerous people in one day or at one time, and think about the responses you received from each person you introduced yourself to or reacquainted yourself with. What were the most common responses to your acknowledgement and how did the energy of each person affect you, personally?

In my own experiences, I have found that addressing individuals with a pessimistic outlook tend to subconsciously rub off to a certain degree. You might not be in a bad mood, necessarily, after talking with this person, but negativity can definitely try pretty hard to chip away at positive energy. The same can be said in communicating with a person who appears to be on top of the world. Contact with them is generally infectious as well and they are able to influence optimism to those around them. I can tell you right now, that the day I came in contact with those two individuals, I experienced this phenomenon to the fullest. Not to say the individual expressing their ‘problems’ at work brought me down, but I did find myself thinking negative thoughts about why he isn’t grateful for all he DOES have. Especially after meeting such a delightful man that same day who (in my opinion) had way more reasons to frown then most people I know, yet he was wearing the biggest smile I had seen all day… and he had given me one as well. Imagine that! We can actually induce others with feelings that reflect our emotions just simply by giving a negative response through our body language and responses to others. Powerful thought, huh?

While sitting and having a fantastic meeting with a great friend (who just also happens to be an amazing professional in the healthcare industry), Lifan Hung, she brought up an awesome ‘exercise’ that we should all think about trying. For the sake of this article, I am going to call it ‘Always Looking Up’…

For an ENTIRE day… I dare you to greet EVERY single person you come in contact by saying something positive. Even if your whole day has been based around mishaps and calamity and you feel so stressed that you can hardly contain yourself, and regardless of how the person on the other end responds… Just breathe… smile… and say something infectiously positive to each person you see for that day. I can absolutely guarantee you that not only will you make another person’s day more worthwhile, but you will also create and embellish a strong, empowering, and positive affirmation within yourself as well. Just try it. Just for a day and be cognizant of how you feel and how others you interact with react to your optimism. It might just be so infectious that you decide to use it everyday!

Just as well, when I was around ages 15-16, I can remember a time when I was headed into a convenience store. Walking to the door, I heard footsteps behind me, so I opened the doors in front of me, turned, and held them open for the individual who was a few steps behind me. Surprised, the man stopped for a moment, hesitated, and said, “Oh!... Well… thanks!”. He then continued forward and into the store. Following behind, I grabbed what I was looking for and (ironically) was now standing behind the same man I had held the door for in line. After he checked out and left, I checked out myself and headed to the door where it was opened from the outside. Caught off guard and putting my spare change in my purse, it was my turn to pause at this unexpected gesture.

Walking through the doors and looking up, I saw the familiar face of a man returning a favor peer out and as I treaded forward, he kindly said, “I wanted to ‘thank-you’ for your kindness earlier.”

“Why is that?”, I asked, confused.

To which he said, “I have been really down lately… and I mean REALLY down. And no one has given me the time of day. I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” he said under his breath, “but today it got to the point where I wanted to end my life. Thank you for helping me remember how good it feels to smile.”

Speechless, I said, “You’re welcome.”, and with a tip of his hat he walked away… with his chin held high.

To say this event didn’t change my life would be an absolute lie. I never really told anyone about this incident as it just didn’t feel appropriate until now. After that moment and to this day, I take careful prominence in making sure to say ‘Hello’ to (most) anyone I encounter and to be as friendly as possible to the people around me. You just never know what your actions might mean to someone. Each person has a unique story and each person, as an individual, is dealing with specific problems, issues and stresses that affect each person to a different degree. Never judge a book by its cover and never underestimate or take for granted the power of spoken word. You have no idea what each person you encounter on a daily basis is going through behind closed doors, and what a kind comment or acknowledgement might do to make someone’s day better… or their life.

I dare you, Faithful Reader, to set all worries, stresses, ‘problems’ and issues aside and devote an entire day to optimism. The more you speak of positivity, the more you will act on it and the more you will infect those around you with the same kindness you exert yourself. Don’t be one of those people who allows a leaky faucet ruin their day. Instead, look at the things that you are grateful for. Stop and smell the roses and notice the little things in life that bring a smile to your face. Learn that the glass is always full… but only if we let it be. Remember that ‘perception is reality’ and that by changing your thoughts, you can change all that surrounds you.

And lastly, oh lastly, don’t ever wait for perfection, but praise and commend progress. By appreciating the small steps leading to the big result, you can gain a better appreciation and understanding of yourself and your life in a way that someone being handed something will never be able to identify with. By changing your thoughts, you can change your life… or someone else’s.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” -Bob Hope

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” -Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” -Plato

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” -Leo Buscaglia

“To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving.” -Max Beerbohm

A 'Dam' Good Time In Boulder City

2009-08-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

Travelling down the 215 and relying on MapQuest to guide me to my destination, I began to feel as if I was in a new world as I approached Boulder City. Squinting at my handwritten directions and proceeding to squint up ahead, I noticed that the blurry street sign in the distance resembled from afar what I was searching so intently for: Buchanan Blvd which would then lead me to Adam’s Blvd. The excitement was bubbling inside me so much while I traversed that all I could think about was the fact that I was about to experience my first Connect To Fitness event in the breath-taking Boulder City.

I arrived at 801 Adams Blvd (not without the help of Darian Parker, of course, who totally should take over the roll of MapQuest in the future), put my car into park and took a nice, deep breath of realization. I looked back at the past few months of my life living in Las Vegas, and just smiled as I became reminiscent of the progression I have watched unravel before my very own eyes in regards to my life and my career. In this moment, a passing thought crossed my mind of having been to Boulder City in my first weeks as an official resident of Las Vegas. Darian and I had come down to meet with Marcie Gibson who gave us her enthusiastic consent in holding an event for Connect To Fitness at one of the recreation centers located within the city. At the time I didn’t think that day could come soon enough! Well… here I was. Back in Boulder City. Back in action. And back with CTF.

Having arrived early and having been greeted by Darian (who arrived EXTRA early), I grabbed my belongings out of my car as Darian graciously took hold of the giant cooler filled to the brim with Tropical Smoothies out of my backseat. He told me in advance that I was going to love what I saw as I walked into the facility, but I still wasn’t prepared for what I was getting myself into. Before we walked into the doors of the facility, I could see people setting up tables through the sun-tainted windows, which were obviously trying to blind me. As I proceeded through the doors, my mind immediately reverted back in time to elementary school gym class while growing up in my small hometown. The sense of ‘home’ it instills within you and consumes you with is enough to give you goosebumps and to make you want to move in. Possibly forever.

After laying my things down atop the piano placed (ever-so-randomly and yet so perfectly) in the refreshment room, I really began to absorb my surroundings. In the square room were three long tables (loaded with colorful confetti!) lining the front and side walls, and a few fold-out chairs just like being back in school. As I traversed through the main lobby and into the gymnasium, I could already see the cones, basketballs, footballs, and tennis balls all stationed accordingly around the perimeter of the basketball court (as Tina said: not quite a whole basketball court, but bigger than a half court). I couldn’t believe it. I stared in awe, and looked at Darian and made some kind of predictable and excited exclamation that I still heard echoing five minutes after I made my outburst. “This is incredible!!!”, I believe were my words. The old brick walls without windows and painted an off-white/yellow color, the padded mats lining the walls for protection, and the oddly-modern, shiny, wood ceilings that were perfectly out of place. I. Loved. It.

We walked back out to the lobby and began to set up the front table in which we had our sign-in sheet, nametags and markers, and where we also laid out our Connect To Fitness donation box in which we are using to assimilate money for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, which is the cause we have been actively involved with the past few months.

As Darian and I caught up a bit and basked in this incredible environment, Marcie Gibson (who supervises the main Fitness Center in Boulder City and who is incredibly active within her community) and a couple friends pulled up and popped the lid of the truck and out poured never-ending food. There was a HUGE fruit tray as well as an equally proportioned vegetable tray, there was a varied cheese tray, a big bag of dark, plump grapes, crackers of all kinds, cookies, and an enormous tray of veggie and cheese wraps that weighed as much as I do. Oh… and don’t forget the smoothies.

Shortly after having arrived myself, the always delightful and inspiring Heather Doane arrived with Crayola Markers, construction paper and, of course, folder to keep it all in. We were in mission mode. Quickly (but creatively) constructing signs detailing the games we had set up in the gym, we caught up for a bit and finished setting everything up. Just as we were finishing, Charles and Hannah Ware arrived with yet another cooler; this time loaded with bottled water and all varieties of Vitamin Water. He also came bearing gifts, as the Professional Fitness Institute always donates amazing prizes for our event giveaways. Shortly after that, more guests began arriving and within no time flat the echoes heard in the gym were reverberating all throughout the building. It was fantastic to see the familiar and faithful faces of those who are continually at each event supporting CTF, networking and enjoying each other’s company and it was just as awesome to get acquainted with the new faces from both the Vegas Valley as well as Boulder City. There were some really incredible people who arrived and it was great to mingle and make connections with each person who walked through the door.

Besides the array of amazing food we had to share, the other main attraction was the ‘game room’, where Darian and Marcie meticulously set up some fun games where guests could pay to play, as well as donate, money to our cause at the same time. We had a basketball free-throw contest, a tennis-ball toss, and a football throw where you had to manage to throw a football into a plastic bin in the front of the gymnasium. As people began piling in, it was extremely reminiscent of gym class and being a kid again, and it had a sort of carnival feel to it that was just awesome. As people played the games, others were shouting encouragement from the sidelines inbetween conversation or between snacking. It was really inspiring to see and it was fun watching the ‘crowd’ cheer the players on as they focused intently on making each toss or free throw. As I made my rounds in greeting everyone, I admit I couldn’t help but to snack myself each time I’d walk by the table. The food was immaculate and plentiful and we had an ample amount (and then some!) for the guests to stack mile-high plates.

About an hour into the event, we had our first prize giveaway, which came from Advantage Fitness Products (AFP), which was an awesome Travel-Trainer (if you don’t own or know of this great product and you are a trainer, you should definitely check it out!). The winner of this prize is always shocked at how awesome it is once they receive it, and it’s always a joy to see the faces of the winners. Another fifteen minutes went by and we gave out the last two prizes, donated by the Professional Fitness Institute (PFI), which consisted of two PFI logo backpacks loaded with more great accolades inside. It’s always a treat, as well, to give such great prizes to such great people.

After the final prize giveaway and after everyone was done playing games in the gymnasium, we began to tear everything down as people slowly began filing out the doors. We folded and stacked all the chairs and tables, put away the gym equipment and set the building up exactly how it was before we arrived. All the leftover food was happily carried away by guests and staff members and you could see and hear people were exchanging business cards and information before leaving.

As I was looking around towards the end, I took in another deep breath and just smiled to myself as another successful event had just taken place. The work that goes on behind-the-scenes is often time-consuming and a lot of work, but always, ALWAYS worth it. It has been our great fortune to have the opportunity to meet with so many amazing individuals on a monthly and daily basis through CTF and each month, and each day, there just seems to be more people reaching out and getting involved. I stood there and thought about the last week as well in which I have had the amazing opportunity of meeting with some absolutely fantastic professionals in the health, wellness and fitness industry who expressed interest in contributing for the CTF Magazine publication out in 2010. Words cannot even begin to explain the inspiration I received from these individuals as well as the excitement for having them on the CTF team. So many of my own dreams have come true as a result of CTF and it’s such a great feeling when you view and help other people reach their own dreams and aspirations through the organization as well. If you haven’t yet become an active member, now is a great time to join in as we are truly growing by leaps and bounds and the opportunities for professionals that we have to offer are growing as well. The gratitude from knowing we are helping to contribute to job-placement is just incredible and we are currently establishing a system that will be even more efficient at this process.

As I looked around and my mind travelled back to the hear and now, I picked up my belongings (and my twelve thousand Ziplock bags), and carried them out to my car while Charles rolled out the cooler of the few leftover smoothies. As I said ‘Goodbye’ to the rest of the CTF staff and remaining friends, I felt overwhelmed with great fortune as the event replayed itself in my mind and I was able to just sit in my car and let the gratitude wash over me.

As I drove out back towards Adam’s Blvd., I caught a glimpse of Marcie was pulling her car over, and getting out of her vehicle to pick up a sign on the side of the road that had fallen down. It reminded me just how big-hearted so many of the people are that I have met and how people who are passionate about being in this profession are typically the ones to do not just the big things in life to make the world a better place, but the little things as well, such as picking up a fallen sign off the side of the road. I couldn’t imagine being a better industry and surrounding myself with better people. Having moved out to Vegas, one thing I can attest for is the amount of positive energy so many people in this industry possess.

Thank you to all who came out, donated, and showed support for both CTF and Making Strides For Breast Cancer. Thank you as well for our amazing sponsors, both AFT and PFI for donating some amazing products to share with those at the event. We raised a significant amount of money with your help, and just as I mentioned above, it’s these little things that help create a balance in life and which help to improve and impact other’s lives around you. I hope that you will also join us in walking for this cause in October and that you will continue to hold our hands through this journey we like to call Connect To Fitness.

As I drove away from Boulder City, I once again came back to reality and began to plan in my mind for the rest of my evening, as well as for what lies ahead. All the while, I was filled with the feeling of accomplishment which in turn led me to reaffirm my ‘belief’ into ‘knowledge’ that anything we set our minds to in life is possible. Because it is.

Thank you again, Faithful Reader and Follower, and until next time…

“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”
-William A Ward

“One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.” - Dick Gregory

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” - John Andrew Holmes Jr., American writer and minister

Dear John Cloud of Time Magazine...

2009-08-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dear John Cloud,

Upon just recently reading your article in Time Magazine entitled, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html), I wanted to give you a sincere reply as this is a subject that I am extremely passionate about. Whether or not your article was made deliberately to cause a stir of controversy, I don’t know and I don’t care. I just can’t find it within myself to stay quiet any longer.

Being in the fitness industry prior to going to school, having went to school to become a personal trainer, having worked with and having been mentored by some of the most recognized, decorated, successful, and educated professionals in the world, having trained clients of my own, and being loyal to training myself, I can tell you first hand that if there is anything I have learned about the state of today’s people, it’s that, collectively,they need to move a LOT more and eat a LOT less.

Having introduced myself, I would therefore like to ask you what your contribution to the fitness industry has been as far as education, hands-on experience, professionalism, as well as your own training? I ask this for a number of reasons, the first being to get to know you a little better and second being I don’t believe you have had any formal training nor do I believe that you understand the science underlying the art of weight loss and of the body itself. How do I know this? Well, for one; you inquired in your article about whether, “…exercise turn fat to muscle, and doesn't muscle process excess calories more efficiently than fat does?”. If you would have done just a little bit more research, you would have found, Mr. Cloud, that it is impossible for muscle to turn to fat, or vice versa, as fat and muscle are two entirely different types of tissue. Everyone has both fat cells and muscle cells, and it isn’t a matter of transforming one into the other, but it is a matter of shrinking and growing these different tissue types to transform your body composition. This is something that can be accomplished by both moving your body and by feeding your body not only the right amount of food, but the right types of food. I was embarrassed reading your article for your own sake and am just sick that you would impede on an industry you have no business being involved in.

What many people fail to realize is that being ‘healthy’ isn’t just a term used synonymously with a quick-fix without effort, rather it is a combined effort of being healthy from the inside-out; from your brain and how you feel mentally, to your mouth and digestive system and what you are putting in it each day, to your body and how your training program is designed to help benefit your specific and individual needs physically. Being ‘healthy’ is not in style just for bikini or wedding season. Rather, it is a life-long commitment just like a marriage or any other lasting relationship between two people. It is something you need to be dedicated to and something that can’t be accomplished without all the correct elements in place. As a country, fitness and wellness has become completely commercialized and so many of us are deceived into thinking that if we all eat a certain (and similar) way and if we all move in a certain (or similar) way then we will see fast (and similar) progress in ‘6 minutes or less!’. Folks... this isn’t reality and the truth is that each of our bodies are as individual as our fingerprints in what we need to attain our own optimal health. Our features inside are as unique as the features we possess on the outside, and although you touched on this briefly, Mr. Cloud, I don’t believe you and I are delivering the same message to the public on the specifics of this topic.

Just as each human body is as one-of-a-kind as our own fingerprints, so are our specific needs for our specific fitness, wellness and health goals. You mention how vigorous exercise may not be for everyone, and certainly this is a valid and respectable point to mention as you are correct in your statement. Depending on your specific goals, vigorous exercise may NOT be the best possible answer for your body and for attaining these goals, especially if you have any contraindications permitting you from performing high intensity training or if you just simply don't need it for your personal needs. To optimize weight loss in a healthy and efficient manner, you have to incorporate not JUST clean eating or JUST exercise or JUST having a clean mental plate, but all three of these aspects meshed together to create a combined effort of life-long commitment. What controls the body controls the mind, and what controls the mind controls the body. Exercise is not a cure for negative eating habits and patterns. You can train all you want, but if you aren’t receiving the proper nutrients needed for your body to function correctly, you are still going to either plateau, maintain, or (most often) gain weight. With all the junk and processed food we have at our disposal these days, it’s no wonder people aren’t losing weight! The simple science of weight loss first involves a caloric deficit combined with movement. The calories you are expending each day, or your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), have, have, HAVE to be more than what you are taking in through food, or reaching your fitness goals of weight loss will be next to impossible.

In your article, you mentioned how obese people actually burn more calories per day than an average person who isn’t overweight might burn. Reverting back to TDEE… A person’s total daily energy expenditure is the sum of your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the calories you expend processing and digesting the food you consume, and the calories burned through activity level. The first two variables aren’t subject to too much manipulation as they are, on average, pretty standard in people of similar weight and size. Energy expenditure through physical activity (or lack of, in many cases) is extremely variable and the generally the easiest controlled of the three components that make up TDEE. Scientifically speaking, heavier people burn more calories than lighter people when doing the same work as it takes more energy to fuel and move a heavier body, no matter WHAT the activity may be. This doesn’t cultivate that overweight and obese people are ‘exercising’ any more than average or lighter people, this is just a variable that is proportionate to body weight and size. So, you were essentially correct in your 'findings', Mr. Cloud, but your presentation on the matter was vague and you used this to take advantage of your audience in misguiding them by not explaining the science behind your observation and claim.

‘Exercise’ in itself is a term in which people, like yourself, cringe upon hearing. The word itself is partly deceiving because it has been used synonymously with training in a gym or something similar, and not everyone enjoys training in that environment. It creates a narrow pathway and a sour taste in the mouth of most people and they aren’t able to open their eyes a broader standpoint that all this word essentially is referring to is ‘movement’. As a population, we in no way, shape, or form move as much as we once did. Humans report (as you mentioned) that they are moving ‘more than ever’ and that they are meeting the recommended daily guidelines established by such organizations as ACSM, NSCA and many other accredited organizations. The fact of the matter, plain and simple, is that as life and technology fuse together, we are not moving like our ancestors did, and people tend to over-report their activity levels to begin with. You claim you would be better off not going to the gym and taking up leisure activities and incorporating short bursts of activity into your day whether it be taking the stairs, walking more, etc. Have you actually TRIED doing this or incorporating this into your life? Unless we miraculously have technology stripped from our everyday lives (right down to our vehicles), we will never again, as a human race, acquire the same energy output that our ancestors did way back when no matter HOW many stairs we climb or parking lots we walk. We are a population that is now accustomed to sitting whenever possible and getting up only to sit down once again. I mean, think about it… We (humans) are the only animals on the planet that have managed to change our environment. We have established a convenient world where food can be replenished and where we can rely on technology to do most of our dirty work for us. Sure, we can (and should!) incorporate other daily activities into our lives besides our daily workout at the gym. We should definitely take stairs and walk from here to there. But my point is that we just need to collectively get up and just move no matter where you are going or what you are doing! Every little bit of activity counts and the more calories we burn… the better.

Just as well, I mentioned above that exercise does NOT undue poor eating and nutrition habits. In your case, you claim that it’s because of exercise that you aren’t losing your gut. Have you thought about what your gut might look like if you were to stop exercising?... It appears you are in a maintenance stage as you aren’t gaining or losing any weight, but that you aren’t fusing together the proper elements of an all-around lifestyle change, including the mental, physical and emotional aspects. Clean eating is a tremendous part of weight loss, just as well as eating the right portion sizes, nutrients and nutrient timing, number of meals, and so on. Have you gone or considered seeing a registered dietitian or nutritionist? Part of the problem we are facing today is that we are stuffing our faces with processed garbage, artificial flavors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, white everything (table salt, sugar, flour, etc…), artificial sugars and sugar substitutes, non-organic food and food products plagued with hormones, pesticides and other harmful chemicals, and the list goes on!!! What we fail to realize is that these substances weren’t made to be consumed by the human body and when we are constantly feeding ourselves these substances; our bodies aren't accustomed to digesting these substances and guess what? It stores them. That’s right. Many of them DON’T digest. Try that one on for size. In a world of processed everything and anything, we are basically the guinea pigs of these food companies luring us and feeding us this garbage. If you were to eat clean and keep up your weekly training regiment, I have no doubts that you would see more progress than you are now. Maybe start by asking yourself if you are eating good, quality food and if you are getting the proper nutrients, fiber and servings needed for weight loss to supplement your training. Are you drinking enough water and how many meals are you consuming? It also wouldn’t hurt to seek out advice from a professional who could analyze your dietary intake and give you some helpful suggestions on how to eat right.

Just as well, in your ‘findings’ you say that exercise induces appetite, when in fact just the opposite has been proven to be true (found in studies done by Les Mills, University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology, NSCA, etc…). Exercise actually suppresses appetite hormones during and after training and can actually help lead to weight loss if managed properly. When managing your diet for weight loss, it is of dire importance that you are eating the right foods for your body and at the right times. If you aren’t, then you aren’t going to lose weight the way you want and you aren’t going to see results even though you are training.

All in all, this article was extremely disappointing as the whole reason why our country and this world are in such a bad state is because of these same reasons you are advocating. As a country, we need to move more, eat better and be more cognizant of our mental state and how we are managing our stress and stress levels. We are no longer living like our ancestors and we have to (sadly) look and search for ways to incorporate activity into our lives and we also have to search high and low for good, quality food that we can feel safe about putting into our systems. Weight loss isn’t an easy task and there are many, many other elements involved in the process. As you can see, life without the caloric expenditure of the past and without clean eating has led us to become the most unhealthy country in the world. And decidedly so. If you look at less established, less industrialized and less commercialized countries where the people rely on the land and hard work through constant labor, they are far better off then we are. They are treating their bodies exactly as nature intended for them to. In America and in other advanced countries, we have the 'luxury' of sitting back and letting technology take the ropes for us in completing our daily tasks. We don’t use our minds or bodies as we used to, yet we eat more food then ever before. The body is very adaptable, but not very fast and efficient at evolving. It takes the human race over 100,000 years to evolve and we are forcing ourselves to go against the grain of Mother Nature by evolving in a way that we aren’t able to quite get a grasp on and handle efficiently.

We are more than capable of making changes, even if we start off small, and you, Mr. Cloud, are no different. Invest some time into learning more about the subject you are committing to sabotage and realize that you are taking the easy way out by looking for a quick fix. You have made yourself the poster-child for what's wrong with our country and the way we think (and what we THINK we know) about health. Dedicate your life to incorporating all aspects of health and fitness into each day with the help of qualified professionals, and you will begin to see the results you are lacking. Many people other than yourself simply aren’t educated on these subjects and therefore have troubles making decisions of their own as they have no prior knowledge to give them a solid base for their assumptions. Stand for something, Mr. Cloud, but stand for something that will help to benefit the world, not something that will give just another excuse to keep ‘sitting’ around waiting for something to happen. That solution will never and has never paid off and it’s not going to start now.

To help prevent a lot of these misconceptions Mr. Cloud so diligently reported on, Connect To Fitness is in the works of establishing a magazine made for and made by professionals and aspiring professionals who can deliver the knowledge they have attained through education, experience, hard work, and through their own misconceptions that have helped them to thrive in this industry. It is being created with the intentions to showcase and feature the best of the best in the Las Vegas Valley and will keep you up to date with a variety of subjects ranging from business to inspiration, to mental exercise to nutrition, to fitness and exercise. It will also spotlight different professionals and different facilities in the area that deserve recognition and will also include job postings and classifieds. We are currently looking to bring together a solid team and I am pleased to say that I couldn’t be happier with the select people who are already on board. You are definitely in for a treat and we want to reach out to you, Faithful Reader, in getting the word out about the opportunity to work with CTF in creating this valuable resource that will provide a wealth of knowledge to you and the public. Ideally, each professional will have a designated topic that they will be designated to report on for each issue, and they will be responsible for creating their articles and columns. CTF is going to work hard to bring you the best of the best with the promise to deliver legitimate, accurate and beneficial information from those who specialize in it. The featured professionals can benefit as well by getting their names out and by sharing their knowledge and experiences with those who desire to learn from those who know best. There is a need for quality information as millions of people read things like Time Magazine and receive deceitful information from people like Mr. Cloud. This needs to be prevented and the truth needs to be exposed.

Join us, Faithful Reader, as we take the next step in our journey to become a better organization for you and for the industry. Let’s help each other to build a solid foundation that can’t be touched and that we can rightfully call, Connect To Fitness. And Mr. Cloud, would you please take (another) seat, and quit your whining?

(If interested in contributing, please contact me directly on Blogspot, Facebook, Myspace, or by email: Epfitness@gmail.com or ConnectToFitness.gmail.com)

Until next week, Faithful Reader…

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” –Buddah

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.” –Spanish proverb

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” -Mark Twain

Aha!

2009-08-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

What would you consider to be your ‘Aha!’ moment in life? Reflect for just a moment on what event or series of events lead you to where you presently are right now. What caused that moment and where would you be without it?

After completing yet another amazing, inspirational, and life-changing and monthly Boot Camp at the Professional Fitness Institute, I had an ‘Aha’ moment myself when I took a step back and reminisced how I was in the shoes of each of the remarkable students who I had the honor of spending time with this past week. I realized that just over a year ago, I was going through my own transformation without a clue of what really lied ahead for me and what destiny had laying on the table for me all along. I looked back and thought how I would have rolled my eyes and laughed had someone told me where I would be a year later.

During the week while talking to two of my best friends and brilliant coworkers, Kristina Lindquist and Alex Chavez, we got into a discussion on a book Tina highly recommended about leadership and success and what it is that might cause someone to be a leader. Interestingly enough, one of the major contributions to success is nothing short of how a person reacts to their own ‘Aha’ moment, or crucible.

In life, each person has single (or multiple) moments that come periodically every once and a while that challenge us to think on our toes and to react quickly. Most of these moments can make or break us and it’s up to us to ‘respond’ instead of ‘react’ on a whim. When the unexpected happens to us, it can be difficult if not impossible to look at it as a possible opportunity as most of the time we are caught off guard and may not notice the subliminal message behind whatever has occurred. But it is these moments that may or may not ultimately defy us as individuals and success stories. When we choose to react to these moments instead of stepping back, weighing our options, and thinking about how to respond, we are unintentionally choosing to pass up a possible life-changing/-altering moment in time.

Think about a moment when you reacted on impulse to a circumstance that affected you deeply, whether it was emotional, physical, spiritual or mental. Think about how you felt at that moment and how tousled and jumbled your thoughts were. Was the final result a positive or negative reaction? It is our natural instinct, as humans, to react to any external or internal stimuli that may put us into an extreme emotional positive or negative state. It is during these times when our ‘fight or flight’ hormones take over and our judgment and may be impaired. It is also during these times when we typically make a negative or ‘wrong’ decision as a result of not thinking things through completely. When we choose to ‘react’ instead of ‘respond’ to our crucibles, we are setting ourselves up to possibly miss a great opportunity or prospect. If we can take the time out to step back, notice when these situations arise and take a second to actually think about and ponder what is happening, we are giving ourselves the option to respond and make a resolution that will benefit us instead of put us into a disposition.

In this classic example of reaction versus response, reflect on an instance when you were so incredibly upset at the world or at a certain person and instead of taking time to sit and gather your thoughts, you begin taking out all your stress on the first person you cross paths with. How did that situation pan out? More likely than not, it was something you fully regretted after it was over because you acted completely on impulse and you weren’t ‘being yourself’. Is this ringing a bell? Sure… maybe this isn’t your ‘crucible’ per-se, but is a common denominator that frequently happens as a result of a negative reaction. A crucible can be any number of things from an unexpected opportunity, to a chance meeting with someone you can benefit from, to randomly being in the right place at the right time, to even something as simple as stepping out of your box and trying something new… and liking it. Each of these elements can be obscured in emotions and disguised as distractions, but in reality, these are the things in life we need to grasp hold of and take a moment to analyze for they could have a tremendous effect on our future and our lives as we know it. How you choose to react or respond can have either a positive or negative impact on the situation as a whole.

So, what does this ‘aha’ moment stuff have to do with success, achievement, etc… you ask? Well, a lot, actually. While many people don’t see the door opening in front of them when these situations arise, a few others can essentially use the ‘glass half full’ philosophy and find a small window of opportunity, even in situations when the outcome appears grim or even ‘impossible’. It could be a moment of clarity, a moment of inspiration or even a moment that changes your life. What these people do versus most people is they find the one positive aspect of a situation and they grasp hold of it without letting go. When things aren’t optimal, it can be difficult to remain and stay positive or have hope. It is much easier to dwell on something bad then it is to change it by doing something about it.

One of my own (many) crucibles happened right here in Las Vegas during my externship at the Professional Fitness Institute. In a time when the economy was really beginning to crack it’s whip on our country, all I could think about was how much I didn’t just want, but NEEDED to be effective in my career. I had put so much work and effort into passing one of (if not THE) most difficult exam in the personal training world and I had the most amazing training possible from both the gym I worked at (the Pennbriar Athletic Club) and an amazing privately owned personal training (only) studio that helped me discover how to apply my knowledge into practical experience (Power Personal Training), I still felt that there was an element of my life that was missing. I was happy and content, but not complete. By nature, I am not a person who enjoys being ‘comfortable’ as I have watched many people bask in their comfort and never aspire for anything more. So, naturally, I needed that ‘something more’, but felt at a loss as to where to find it. Having rarely ever left my small hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, I wasn’t expecting my solution to be so far away.

So, last July, I came out and my ‘crucible’ presented itself to me in the form of a select few individuals who gave me the best experience I had ever had in my entire lifetime. It was one of those things where you just know it was meant to be. The central void in my solar plexus was suddenly filled to the top and spilling over in the time I spent in Vegas, and as my time here dwindled I knew I had to return home. And I did. But I returned home even more ambitious and knew that against all odds, I was going to move to Las Vegas. I realized so heavily while I was out here that what I, personally, desire above all else in this world is to have an impact on as many people’s lives as I possibly can, and I realized that I just simply wasn’t able to reach enough people back home. In learning about the declining health status and the growing epidemics plaguing the nation and the world, I just couldn’t sit back and watch it happen. It wasn’t even an option. When I discovered the need for great professionals (and not just great professionals, but great FEMALE professionals) in the industry, it became physically, mentally and emotionally impossible for me to not desire with all my heart to help contribute to filling this gap. The ‘Aha’ bug had hit me, and it hit me hard. How was I going to get the word out? It was so strange how overpowering this desire was and it was only getting stronger by the day. I found my calling, but I was living 3,000 miles away from my destiny. I felt that my potential to grow in my chosen industry was stunted by residing in such a small town. Coming to Las Vegas helped me realize the potential of living in a huge city with limitless opportunity and room to grow. In the months that followed after my return home, I hit a few brick walls that I knew could make or break me and I decided to make a conscious effort to analyze every situation and take careful time to positively respond to them and not negatively react. The bumps in the road were extremely intense and Life truly did it’s best in trying to push me down and keep me down. But the thing that helped me push through wasn’t the fact that I was able to internally digest and recognize a life-changing opportunity that I wanted so greatly; it was the fact that I decided to run full-speed ahead to what I wanted and desired without putting a limitation on what I, or anyone else, deemed ‘possible’. When you are able to picture something so clearly in your mind time after time, it no longer is surrounded by boundaries. I took my ‘Aha’ moment and I decided to make it drive my aspiration forward. In going home, the temptation lied in just packing up and coming out post-haste… The problem at hand was that if I would have reacted impulsively to this stimulus, I knew I wouldn’t have been prepared for the long-haul. So, although it wasn’t by any means easy, I took the next 8 months to game-plan and find the most effective time and way to make a successful move. In planning for anything long-term, the best thing we can do is not jump into something impulsively without looking at all the consequences and repercussions that may arise.

Albert Einstein, himself, had his own ‘Aha Moment’ before he discovered the equivalence principle, which was a foundation for his General Theory of Relativity. Einstein, whom at the time was 28, was working a dead-end job completely unrelated to physics as a patent examiner when one day a random thought came to his mind, “…if a person were in free-fall, he or she would not feel their own weight…”. This thought spawned one of the greatest theories of all time. This thought was also later described by Einstein as, “the happiest thought in my life.”

If Einstein had decided to let this thought pass by without taking time to process it and to put into action a way to make it applicable to life, who KNOWS where we would be! Every person in the world has had crucibles happen to them throughout their lives. Leaders and people of success aren’t the ones who take a look around them and contently wait for things to happen. They are the ones who search for that window of opportunity, no matter how small, and do the things that others either fear doing, haven’t thought of doing, or aren’t doing.

In a final example, I want you, Faithful Reader, to realize the potential you have right at your disposal in creating your own crucible. An innovation in itself, Connect To Fitness was an ‘idea’ thought up by a man who was able to recognize the state of the health, wellness and fitness industry, and who was willing to step up the plate to do something about it. CTF President, Dr. Darian Parker, had an enormous idea that seemed crazy enough to work. So, did he sit back and wait for something to happen or for someone else to step up to the plate? No. He took a significant amount of time to find out how to respond to this idea he just couldn’t shake. And it was designed for you, Faithful Reader, to be able to channel and create your own crucibles and ‘Aha’s’ into reality. Envision your ideal future exactly how you want it to be and ask yourself what you are doing right now to turn it into reality. Nothing has to be ideal in life, and nothing is impossible if we can just believe in ourselves, our potential and in our ideas. If everyone believed only in the impossible, life as we know it would cease to exist. Connect To Fitness has been making incredible strides in connecting professionals from all over the Vegas Valley together for one common cause: To improve this industry in every facet. Just as I always say, ‘There is no such thing as a self made man.’ This couldn’t ring more true and we are going to great lengths in proving this each day. If you haven’t yet come to one of our events, you are truly missing out on a great opportunity to meet with the people of your area who share like interests and goals and also in getting to see and visit different locations and facilities around Vegas that are making strides as well. The events are a blast and it has been an honor to meet with so many amazing professionals who are motivated to see through their crucibles to the end. There has never been a more crucial time in the health, wellness, and fitness profession to unite and give rise to something so big that the world will have no choice but to listen. It’s up to you to take that initiative, that one step forward. Get out of your comfort zone and set your sights on the change you wish you see in this world. Become those thoughts and ideas and let them propel you forward. Alone, we are only one voice, one idea. Together, we are a million voices strong and unstoppable.

How would your life look years down the road if you decided to take that leap of faith into pursuing and ‘responding’ to your crucible(s)? Alone, we are only one voice, one idea. But together, we are a million voices strong and unstoppable.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” –Steve Jobs

“Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” -Albert von Szent-Gyorgy

“The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on. Sometimes people get their ends reversed. When this happens they need a kick in the seat of their pants.” –Roger von Oech

Take My (Ujjayi) Breath Away

2009-08-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

The energy was indescribable as it radiated throughout the room. As my focus tapered to my breathing and movements, I lost track of all that was around me, including time itself, and I wasn’t even aware that my body was molding and shaping itself into positions, poses and postures that I previously had never done before. I was truly fit to be tied… in yoga class.

Although most of us already have an idea of what yoga ‘is’, not many of us know how yoga originated to become what it is today. With an array of different styles to behold and the astonishing, research-backing health benefits, you might just want to reconsider your opinions on incorporating yoga into your lives if you haven’t already. I WILL tell you this much… If you think yoga is just a place to twist into unseemingly impossible positions… you have a long way to go in understanding this art.

Although millions of people currently practice yoga and its health benefits are undeniable, there still seems to be a good number of people who are still timid on giving it a try or who haven’t reaped the benefits due to faulty experiences. I will be the first to admit that I used to be one of these people. I’m not even going to deny it because I was once a disbeliever myself. Although I had heard of yoga and how wonderful it was to do, I didn’t think it could POSSIBLY compare to lifting weights and training hard the ‘conventional’ way just in the gym. Being an avid gym-goer myself, I just wasn’t convinced no matter how much people threw it in my face that I should give it a try. It wasn’t until I really decided to take on fulfilling my destiny as a professional fitness trainer that I began to open up my mind to new and other training ideas, styles, forms, and modalities. In being a self-proclaimed fitness junkie, I began to avidly study and explore these new art forms within the fitness industry and wanted to just dive head-first into these different methods that have each done wonders for other people. Fitness becomes religious to people in the way that everyone has their own beliefs and approach to how they get the job done and it was impossible to not want to delve into these techniques. As a trainer, it is of vital importance to have an open mind as the industry is so vast and ever-changing. If you choose to be secluded and isolate your own beliefs and ideas to just a narrow pathway, you will find it extremely difficult to keep up with the industry and therefore make a difference in your client’s lives as well as your own. With so much happening in the industry today, we need to have as many tools in our toolbox as possible. So.. needless to say, I wound up in yoga class one day and every since I have been hooked.

Although I have never been ‘religious’ about going to yoga due to schedule conflicts, I still would try to make it whenever I could even if it was only a couple times a month. In moving to Vegas and in being involved with Connect To Fitness, I decided that when time (and finances) allowed, I would scope out and become more involved in yoga for it’s benefits. One of the things that interests me most with yoga is how almost all populations of people, regardless of their background, age, experience, gender, (ect..), can incorporate yoga into their lives. Also of interest was the fact that there is always room for improvement and growth due to the fact that there are so many modifications and levels of yoga to choose from. Yoga is incredibly non-biased and challenges each aspect of your being whether it’s the physical, mental, spiritual and/or emotional state. Yoga also is a great and proven way to improve flexibility as it carefully acts on all the joints of the body, including those that rarely get used or stretched in everyday life or ‘traditional’ exercise. Likewise, these well-researched yoga positions also help with constant lubrication for these joints by working the tendons and ligaments surrounding them. One of the more interesting things about yoga is the fact that it is perhaps the only form of exercise or activity which acts to message all the internal glands and organs of the body, including those that rarely become stimulated during the course of our entire lifetimes. This stimulation acts to keep away disease and to provide a forewarning if we do happen to succumb to an onset of disorder or disease. By creating a sense of awareness within one’s self and one’s body through yoga, it becomes much easier to recognize when the onset of (or symptoms of) disease or illness may appear. Yoga is also known for it’s detoxifying efforts in ensuring optimum blood supply to different and various parts of the body. This provides nourishment up to the last point and helps in ridding the body of harmful, damaging, and ruinous toxins. These detoxifying efforts lead to benefits such as delayed ageing, improved energy and a better sense of well-being for one’s self and one’s life.

In the past, the essential goal of the yogis was to achieve ‘self realization’ or ‘enlightenment’. This concept, when viewed nowadays, can be a bit impenetrable to comprehend as it something that we seldom or never practice in our own lives. By fusing together the mind-body connection, yoga can be compared to mediation in that it helps to harmonize these two vital elements together. Think of a time where you, yourself, have been in a situation where your mind was controlling your body, whether for positive or negative purposes. By synchronizing the connection between the body, spirit and mind, yoga can help a person achieve eternal bliss. This, in turn, can help eliminate such problems such as depression and anxiety, can help foster positive attitudes and moods, as well as help improve concentration, awareness, focus, memory and somatic and kinesthetic awareness.

Just knowing these benefits exist was enough for me to let curiosity get the best of me, so I have been hooked ever since and can voucher firsthand that the experience is something not to be reckoned with. In my yoga journey, I have taken a variety of random yoga classes let by different instructors, but I had yet to really experience and embrace the mind-body connection that I kept hearing about. There were brief times during class that I would get a foretaste or glimpse of that sensation, but I just wasn’t achieving it as I had hoped… Until recently.

At Las Vegas’s own Professional Fitness Institute (where my entire life as I know it unfolded), the idea of implementing an entire yoga schedule with various instructors has been tossed around a few times and just recently has that idea become a reality. Having tried yoga numerous times before, I figured this would be no different, but knowing the credentials and experience of the instructors hired, I was really eager to try out some of the new classes we now have available to the public (not to mention PFI really goes above and beyond to hire the best of the best to represent their facility and to keep their reputation at the top). So, after reading the schedule, I decided that I was really intrigued by a class I had never heard of called Dragon Vinyasa. This class, created and led by Ottavio Gesmundo and his amazing wife Naomi Brenkman Gesmundo, (and in their own words…) “is a fully integrated and flowing exercise system that combines the ancient techniques of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with mixed Martial Art Forms. This dynamic body/mind workout is designed to improve strength, balance, flexibility, coordination, breath control and focus as well as increase energy. Through the flowing synchronization of breath and movement you will release toxins and decrease stress from both the mind and body. Dragon Vinyasa is a fun way to build lean, strong and flexible muscles while at the same time learning basic self-defense.” The Dragon Vinyasa system is carefully built around seven components including: meditation, pranayama (breath control), bandhas (energy valves/locks), drishti (gaze focus), asanas (poses), forms, and stillness. It is these seven elements that provide the benefits described above.

Not knowing what to expect, I walked into class with an open mind as I knew it would be something so different than anything I had ever done before. From the get-go, the energy possessed by both Ottavio and Naomi was just so incredible. They radiate with passion for what they do and it truly comes out during their practice as they teach. Feeding off the energy they exude, I was completely focused after just the initial breathing and stretching warm-ups. Sinking deeper into the flow, I found it easy to become so entranced and engaged in my breathing and in being aware of where my body was in space that I was able to really put myself fully into each pose and to become one with myself in the process. Ottavio and Naomi’s teaching style is also something to take note as well. Feeding off each other’s energy as well, both switch as lead and/or demonstrator fluently and as if it were choreographed and depending upon your position and where your view is, they move around the studio to accommodate your line of vision so you don’t have to move or twist to see them. They gracefully move in front, back or to the side of you (and sometimes both!) so you always have an example to follow regardless of which way you are facing. Along with being utterly astonishing, it also allows you to never break focus or form the entire class and you are able to maintain your natural flow very easily. What was very strange for me was the fact that I was SO engrossed throughout the duration of the class that the whole hour burned through like nothing. I felt I was in class only briefly and the only way I could convince myself otherwise was by how my body was feeling. Dragon Vinyasa, through the integration of fusing Ashtanga Yoga with Tai Chi & Kempo Martial Arts, has an intentional goal of helping you to become aware and focused, yet calm at the same time. It’s also not unusual during class for your heart rate to shoot up high through faster and more dynamic movements, breathing styles, and positions, then to be immediately followed with a slower, more isolated movement with slowed breath, allowing for your heart rate to drop back down to normal. By blending martial arts with yoga, they have found a way to achieve the ultimate calm-awareness. By the end of class, I felt such an empowerment with the body-mind connection that everything I told my body to do, it did. I noticed my body completely loosen up throughout the duration of the class and the way the quality of my breath drastically improved was also phenomenal. If you haven’t yet tapped into the Dragon Vinyasa system, it is something truly worth checking out and becoming loyal to as it truly is completely innovative and fun. Who knew yoga could be so in depth?

I also had time last week to attend Tara Cridland’s A.M. Energy class as well. Tara, who’s been practicing yoga for 11 years and massage therapy for 10 years, has also found an innovative way to combine her two specialties and passions together (yoga and massage) for an out-of-box experience. During class, it was once again easy to get into the rhythm and flow due to following Tara’s lead through breath and positions. Her integration comes into play during these times when you are focusing on bending into, and /or holding a position or pose. For instance, while sitting on the floor with my knees butterflied, my ankles touching and my head having the intention of lowering to meet my feet, Tara used massage to elongate my muscles and therefore allow me to easily slide into this pose AND be able to hold it. I was literally bent into static holds that I have never been able to manage myself and because my body was working with me due to the elongation of my muscles, I was not only able fall into these positions, but I was able to hold them as well. Tara was also amazing with correcting posture and form and was very hands-on and descriptive in where you should feel the stretch, where your body should be in space, how to open up so it’s comfortable and what to focus on when you and/or your body were getting tired. After class, I felt invigorated and completely stretched out, which was great because after my own training at the gym, it’s always important for me to take the time to do some deep stretching. Tara’s class totally hit the spot with that and the rejuvenation I felt after class was unbelievable. Just to open up places on my body that typically don’t get stretched or are difficult to stretch on their own was amazing. In some of the positions, my body was twisted so much into a position that it was difficult to take a deep breath, but Tara took the time to show me how to breathe correctly and what parts of my body need to be opened further to expand my airway. I had never had someone actually ‘teach’ me yoga and hadn’t realized until her class how much of the benefit I was missing before in not being corrected in my postures and positions.

In a day and age where Eastern yoga traditions have been almost commercialized to meet the current Western ‘trends’, it is a breath of fresh air to see yoga returning to it’s roots through the individuals who exhume such passion for the actual art-form itself and in sharing the benefits with others. Yoga isn’t just a fitness trend as you see it being advertized these days. It’s actually a lifestyle and a way of living that can provide longevity if practiced correctly. If you haven’t tried ‘real’ yoga, it is definitely a something you and everyone around you can benefit from. Being in the fitness industry (and as I ALWAYS stress), it’s so important to stay on top of what is happening in the fitness world. Part of my own mission in moving to Las Vegas was to seek and find the best of the fitness world out here in this amazing city, and I don’t rave about anything I do not fully believe in or am not passionate about. Yoga @ PFI has just blown me away and the program is too great for me to keep it to myself. I truly encourage those of you who are in the Vegas Valley and surrounding areas to attend a class and see the difference for yourself in how their program differs from the commercialized Western yoga we have all become accustomed to. The benefits of integrating yoga into your training are too great to ignore and it’s something to look into regardless of your current training state, age, gender and etc. If you have Facebook, type ‘Yoga @ PFI’ into your search box, get the schedule, and please do yourself a favor and attend a class (or 5). What do you have to lose? If you don’t have access to Facebook, please take it upon yourself to email me (epfitness7@gmail.com) for more information or for a schedule. We all deserve to do something for ourselves and having peace of mind should always near the top of your list.

Here, I will provide a detailed list of all the yoga instructors currently at Yoga @ PFI for you to check out for yourself:

Tara Cridland (AM Energy): Tara has been a practictioner of yoga for 11 years and a massage therapist for 10 years. Because of her love of yoga, she decided to become certified to teach in 2005 in a 200 hour Hatha Flow yoga program. During that time she discovered Ashtanga Yoga and fell in love with the therapeutic qualities this yoga possessed. She then became certified in a 200 hour Ashtanga program as well. Tara has been teaching since 2005 and has infused her knowledge of massage with yoga to take her students to a new level and teach them how to soar. She hopes to create a deeper experience with her students that will extend beyond the mat.

Shelley Lynn (Vinyasa Flow): Shelley Lynn is a performer, writer, daughter, sister, woman, yogi, cat owner, supporter of our Troops and the founder of The Vision Space, a creative coaching company. Currently based in Las Vegas Nevada, Shelley began her twenty-year career helping people shape their lives as a professional theatre practitioner and performance coach. She had a blast for over 16 years living between The UK, New York, and Boston -traveling while getting a groovy degree in Performing Arts and a grueling MA at the University of London.
Throughout the last two decades she became deeply interested in yoga, Vedic principles and the power of human transformation - Partly just to recover from the travel (: This lead her to a vocation in professional coaching with Clarity International and in 2007 she certified through the national Its Yoga Ashtanga Vinyasa teaching program.
For Shelley, Yoga is the most effective, joyful tool for integrating ones true purpose with the mechanics of everyday life. She finds yoga to be the best work out she can do - and her approach is to remain present and aware. Her main objective is to provide creative consultation – in simple practical terms - for the holistic health of the people she meets.

Lynn Loftus (Vinyasa Flow): Lynn began her search for the mind, body, spirit connection in high school with Hittleman's books on yoga and transcendental meditation. In her twenties she earned 2nd dan black belt and loved teaching martial arts. After years of teaching and competition in the arts, she rediscovered yoga. She explored various styles and holds certifications in hatha and ashtanga yoga. Her teaching is empowering.

Stacey Shipe (Power Hour): Stacey has been practicing yoga since 2000 but it wasn’t until she moved to Las Vegas in 2006 and found It’s Yoga that she realized becoming a yoga teacher was the next natural step. In 2007 Stacey became certified in Ashtanga yoga though It’s Yoga Las Vegas. A lover of Vinyasa flow, she tries to teach the same kind of class she likes to take. Stacey’s emphasis is on moving the body in order to still the mind. She helps her students focus on embracing the joy as well as the pain in class in order to bring the same awareness and authenticity into everyday life.

Tristan Jih (Power Hour): Tristan teaches Vinyasa Yoga, a style of yoga built around the benefits of flow and ease. He is a graduate from Maggie Verderame's 400-hour Apprenticeship program, where he learned how to take his yoga lessons "off the mat." He is also a Reiki Master.

Ottavio Gesmundo and Naomi Brenkman-Gesmundo (Dragon Vinyasa, Power Vinyasa): Ottavio and Naomi are certified and registered (RYT) yoga instructors with over twenty years experience guiding hundreds of individuals and groups through several modalities of movement. They are critically acclaimed stunt directors & choreographers and are firm believers that you move at your own pace. Never forcing yourself into a pose until ready, but challenging yourself when available. They are the creators of the Dragon Vinyasa system, which is an integration of yoga and martial arts. Naomi & Ottavio use the Dragon Vinyasa to warm up before each performance of their specialty act called The Crossbow Tango. In this highly skilled & extremely dangerous routine they demonstrate the ultimate in trust and focus as they shoot cigarettes out of mouth, and playing cards out hand. You don’t have to shoot an arrow near your loved ones head in order to benefit from doing Dragon Vinyasa , but if it helps their focus and concentration, imagine what it can do for you. Prior experience in yoga or martial arts is not required and these classes are open to all levels; everyone is welcome to attend.

Just as well, as PFI progresses with Yoga @ PFI, they have also just opened their brand new, state-of-the-art facility to the public for personal training as well. With highly qualified, world-class personal trainers and training based off (arguably) the most accredited certification agency in the world; The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), PFI is raising the bar for the fitness industry. As an advocate for the fitness industry and as an employee of PFI myself, I can voucher that they are going above and beyond to define to you and the world the true meaning of ‘fitness’ and ‘personal training’. The bar has been raised, Ladies and Gentlemen. Don’t wait around! Come see what all the buzz is about!

Now that the secrets out on a ‘trend’ that’s here to stay, do yourself a favor and explore the ancient form of training we call ‘Yoga’ @ PFI. Open your mind and take a deep breath… On the exhale, put your hands together in front of your heart… Bow your head… And… ‘Nameste’.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

"The beauty is that people often come here for the stretch, and leave with a lot more." ~Liza Ciano, co-owner and co-director of Yoga Vermont, yogavermont.com

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape."" ~Author Unknown

"Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are." ~Jason Crandell, quoted in Yoga Journal, November 2005

Conquer FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real)

2009-08-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

Did you know that as a whole, people are more terrified of speaking in public than of death itself? If you find this tidbit to be absolutely ludicrous, ask yourself what scares You the most and consider how life might be different for you if you didn’t encompass this fear. Is it possible to be so incapacitated with fear that we not only stop in mid-stride, but we come to a complete standstill without even realizing it?

The other day while at work, I made the mistake of venting to a coworker about my newfound fascination/disgust with cockroaches that frequently co-inhabit my house on a weekly basis. Listening patiently to my entire (and pretty pathetic) story, he proceeded to tell me of some co-inhabitants he has had involving (I don’t even want to say it!) wind scorpions. Not only was the story itself absolutely terrifying in every possible facet, and not only did it cause my normally below-average blood pressure to ascend a couple hundred notches, but it made me ask the question: “Where do fears stem from… How do we get over our fears?... And why do they have the power to sometimes debilitate us?” As I began to really absorb my question and gather my thoughts on the matter, my co-worker thought it would be a great idea to show me a real photo he researched on Google of a wind scorpion, which immediately made me shiver in my britches and realize that I would rather cuddle with a cockroach on any given day than be within a ten-mile radius of one of those… those other THINGS! Needless to say, although I am still to this moment scratching at the thought of “The (now) Unspoken”, I haven’t stopped thinking about fear and how it affects our everyday lives.

After this question arose, I began to really delve into fear itself and why it has so much power over us and how we decide to live. As we’ve already talked about, Faithful Reader, ‘perception is reality’. “So what?”, you ask. Well… believe it or not, the concept of fear holds the same underlying principal. What we experience in life isn’t the main determinant of fear. Rather, it’s the way we (our brains) PERCEIVE the situation that implants that negative feeling into our being. Let’s convert this to a simple equation:

A+B=C

Let’s say:
A is the actual event,
B is our interpretation or perception of the event, and
C is our reaction to the event.

While most people think that ‘A’ dictates how we behave in a certain situation, it is actually ‘B’ that is responsible for this. When we perceive a positive, happy and blissful event as being so, the left hemisphere of our brain is enhanced. Just as well, when we interpret a situation to be negative or debilitating, the enhancement occurs on the right side of our brain. It is these interpretations that ultimately determine our behavior toward the specific event or circumstance. Basically, fear can be loosely defined as the ‘memory of danger’. When we constantly reiterate to ourselves that something is ‘scary’, we are sending constant signals to the brain which eventually become embedded as memories. Much like the snowball effect, the more fears and negative memories you perceive you have, the easier it becomes for your brain to form the connections that eventually lead to anxiety and your world as you know it eventually gives way to this so-called ‘fear-ball’ and begins to dwindle.

While meeting a few weeks back with my close friend and mentor, Darian Parker, we got into a conversation about some of the major events in our lives that sort of molded us into who we are today. During our discussion, Darian told me of his former fear of public speaking and how he dreaded it much like most of the world today does. This took me for a loop and I couldn’t help but question the validity of his statement as he is now an absolutely terrific and distinguished public speaker. So, naturally, my curiosity got the best of me as usual, and I had to inquire further on how he overcame his fear to become who he is today. Believe it or not, he responded by explaining how he eventually grew so tired of having this fear that he made the executive decision to enroll in a public speaking class to get over it. While having to speak publicly, he realized that he actually LIKED it, and low and behold, ended up becoming a college professor in Kansas City! It’s weird to think that if Darian wouldn’t have stepped out of his comfort zone in an attempt to challenge his perception, then he most likely would have ended up a very, very different person with a very, very different career path. He would have been debilitated by a fear that he never attempted to conquer and as a result, his right hemisphere would be in a constant state of over-reaction. In turn, this would continually have held him back from great opportunities and endeavors that he would have been assuming (wrongly) that he wasn’t capable of doing. And THAT, Faithful Reader, is the power of the mind itself.

In another example and in a situation I have touched on before, there was once a time where I, too, was held back by fear in leaving my comfort zone. Having experienced loss on many personal levels, I reached a point where I had fallen so hard and so many times that I wasn’t sure if I had enough energy to pick myself up again and continue onward. Having been pushed down so many times, I had begun to rely on the person who pushed me down to pick me up again and eventually when that ceased to happen, I realized that amongst the negativity, I had actually forgotten that I was capable of doing it on my own. During this time, I had to decide if I wanted to stay down and keep enabling this to happen, or if there was another way I could view this situation so that it would be in my favor. Not only did I decide to get up on my own, but I decided from that day on that I would stand tall on my own no matter what and that I would never, EVER allow myself to identify with those negative perceptions again. Although I am a very independent soul, somehow I had fallen into the trap of allowing A+B=C and I had let my fear of loss impose on my ability to move on. Although situations like these are never easy, sometimes you have to go through them to be reminded of how strong the mind really is and how just a simple change in your everyday thought-processes can make a world of difference. I can honestly say I have no fears at this point in time as I know I will never enable my mind to put me in the same disposition as I once was in (well… ok… So I lied about the ‘no fear’ thing... “The (now) Unspoken” makes me want to reside in an opaque, scorpion-proof bubble that flies at least 10 feet off the ground at all times and is weather resistant. Oh… and I would have to have access to endless sushi, have a home-gym, a Super Walmart and, of course, a laptop.).

“So…”, you ask, “if our reactions to a situation entrench fear into our minds in the form of a memory, is there any way to reverse the process?”. Yes and no. Unfortunately we cannot erase the original memory (sorry to break the bad news)… BUT there is a process you can reinforce that will essentially mask the memory called ‘fear extinction’. Fear extinction is basically an analogous neural alternative to give rise to the creation of a new memory that acts to conceal the old memory. A type of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) does essentially this in helping to force the brain to exchange negative memories of fear for those that are instead positive or neutral. By training the brain that you can survive a negative situation or fear, your brain can then allow (and accept) you to get back on the horse that threw you. Just as most people stop in their own tracks when faced with fear, CBT trains you to respond to the stimulus that affects you instead of doing nothing. This is a proven effective way to face fear and to overcome it. By doing something other than sitting… waiting… worrying… we can weaken our initial instinctive thought processes by schooling the brain to learn a new scenario. In a nutshell, this is exactly what Darian did to get over his fear. And you can too!

One of the things I promised myself I would do from that fateful day long ago was to do something I am scared of as much as possible. Even once a day if the opportunity presented itself. Instead of holding back because I felt scared or was unsure of the final outcome, I have learned to just attack the situation ‘knowing’ that something positive will come out of it. We all know those people who didn’t take a chance to activate their left hemisphere and who now have regrets and ‘wish’ they could go back in time to do whatever it was they feel they missed out on. Don’t be one of those people. Do something each day that scares you, and embrace your fears as something that you want to conquer for yourself so you aren’t held back in fear. In being a part of Connect To Fitness, I have been given a rare opportunity to always be stepping out of my box. Constantly meeting new and interesting people, finding new opportunities, reaching out to people who I would otherwise have never made contact with, responding to others who reach out, and thinking outside the box to put to life and take a chance this amazing ‘idea’ we call Connect To Fitness, there is no room for failure and it isn’t even an option. with you in mind, Faithful Reader, we are continually making strides to bring to you the best possible outlet to help make your out-of-the-box transition easier and more feasible. Although I have yet to sit down and meet a person who hasn’t already conquered their fears, there is still always another step to be taken, always another challenge to be conquered, and always a fear (no matter how small) lingering in some part of our right hemisphere. By having the opportunity to seize the day and seize what it is you strive for day in and day out, we hope to bring you the best possible outlet for you to channel your attack on the world and this industry. In watching the state of the world’s health steadily decline, I don’t know about you, but I am ready to take action regardless of how intimidating or daunting it can seem. It’s not going to be a smooth road, but I know ( fear extinction) that as a team, there is nothing we can’t accomplish. There is nothing we can’t do if we band together and run full-speed ahead without looking back. Nothing in this world is impossible if we set the tone for a trip down (positive) memory lane. Let’s traverse together to fix what is broken and utilize and balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses by making connections and networking so when the time comes, we have someone to turn to and we don’t have to fear not having or knowing the answer. We can all save time and energy and will be overall more efficient in getting the job done, and getting it done right.

Do you want to keep standing still or do you want to take action and see where you are truly destined to be? Do me two favors, Faithful Reader… 1.)Do one thing a day that scares you. 2.) Feel free to contact me should my advice lead you in the wrong direction. In your mind you may have doubts, but in mine, they are all wiped out and destroyed.

Until next time…

“The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” –John Milton

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself (or his brain).” –Leo Tolstoy

"He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your Daily Inspiration

2009-07-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” -Leon J. Suenes

Recall your last week. What is one thing you can think of off the top of your mind that was inspiring to you? Just as well, in your recollection, what have you done to be inspiring yourself? Inspiration is something we recognize instantaneously and typically don’t forget right away, if ever. What does being ‘unforgettable’ mean to you?

It is a pretty incredible gift we are given to be able to become inspired and to go forth and be inspiring to others. We are literally handed the opportunity to have an influence on someone else’s life in the sense that our gestures or deeds could leave a life-long, everlasting effect on those around us. The unfortunate thing is that it can be easy to take this gift for granted and to forget that each of our actions has an effect on whomever we choose to surround ourselves with. And I don’t mean ‘surround’ in terms of just those we know on a personal level, but what about the other, more random people we come in contact with on a daily basis? The bank teller, the cashier, the waiter, the person on the other line of the phone… Or think about this; how about the people who are in your ‘comfort zone’, so to speak, who are always, always there for you? Do you forget that no person is stationed as being ‘permanent’ in your life? Make sure to find ways to inspire these people as well as we all can be guilty of becoming too complacent and too comfortable in our own life environment with what we expect to always be right where we left it. Inspire those around you! Make sure whether it’s just some random person you will never see again or your life-partner of 65 years, that you find ways to inspire all these people in your lives for your attitude, words, actions, and presence will help dictate how this person’s day, as well as your own day, progress and play out. How much better do you feel when a stranger gives you a casual compliment for no apparent reason and you are having one of ‘those’ days? Or what about when your significant other of years on end (who sees you EVERY day) notices how nice you look before you two go out for dinner? All these little things can have a profound effect not only on how this person views their own self, but how they decide to approach the day as well. You never know what a simple and common gesture might do for someone. And who knows? You could end up changing a life or two without blinking an eye! Never forget the power or simplicity.

If you want to go the other route into larger gestures, this, too, can have an obvious outcome on the person you decide to go a step or two out of your way for. It doesn’t have to be anything too drastic, but it will only benefit you in the long-run if you decide to give without expectations and prospects of receiving something in return right that moment. The more you give, whether it be something tangible or intangible, you will get what you give regardless of whether it is right then or later down the road. If you don’t reach out to others, odds are others won’t reach out to you. Keep that in the back of your mind the next time you see someone who could use your help or looks like they are just having a bad day. The things we take for granted are the things that make the profound differences in the lives of those around us. Although it’s cliché, the golden rule is key to remember and to live by.

A year ago this month was the first time I had ever stepped foot in Las Vegas. It was to complete an externship for my graduation from Pinnacle Career Institute, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Being from a small town and not having exposure to much city life, I was in complete awe as soon as I stepped foot off the plane. All I knew was that I was headed to ‘Boot Camp’ at the Professional Fitness Institute (PFI), and that I was more eager and anticipatory than I had ever been in my entire life.

Already inspired upon coming to Vegas as I was ecstatic to have finished my schooling, I really didn’t think life could get much better… Boy, was I wrong!

Just to touch on what PFI is all about, they are a company devoted and committed to producing the best professional fitness trainers in the world. In creating and implementing their ‘personal trainer program’ to their dozens of partner-schools across the country, they prepare aspiring fitness professionals posing as students to succeed in taking their National Strength and Conditioning Association- Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) exam, which is arguably the most prestigious certification for personal trainers in the world. Each month, students who are on the last leg of completing their program fly in from all over the country to go through what they call a ‘Boot Camp’, where the students are introduced to various fitness professionals and celebrities, fitness venues and facilities around the Vegas Valley, a diverse agenda of activates to be performed and completed throughout the week, and, of course, the big (and sometimes dreaded) NSCA exam. The time the PFI staff invests into planning these long and amazing Boot Camps is truly unfathomable. They are constantly striving to produce qualified professionals who are dedicated to making a difference in the world. What they fail to mention in their curriculum is the difference they, themselves are making in the lives of hundreds of people everyday.

For my own Boot Camp, I had such a great time that I knew I was destined to be in Vegas from the first day on. The staff at PFI, consisting of Charles Ware (who runs the place), Chris Carpenter (Director of Ops), and Kristina Lindquist (the incredibly brilliant mind behind the education and curriculum aspect), gave me more inspiration in that one week than I had ever had in my entire life. On top of that, I was with about 40 other students who were completing hours as well, many of whom I still keep in touch with. The activities we performed throughout the week transcended my horizons and opened my eyes to a whole new realm of curiosity, and the fitness professionals we got to train with and learn from were just amazing. From the world-renowned strength and conditioning coach, Tommy Boyer-Kendrick, to the most decorated natural bodybuilder in the world (and UNIVERSE, according to his award collection), Ron Williams, to my own mentor, great friend, and Connect To Fitness colleague, Dr. Darian Parker, who came in and gave an unforgettable lecture on Residential Fitness (and in particular spoke about WTS International). The connections I made were what started my career in Vegas and with networking and if not for those connections, I would have never had such a smooth and perfect Las Vegas transition.

After my hours were completed and it was time to return home to Erie, Pennsylvania, the inspiration that had been sprinkled all over my life never left. From home, I kept in touch with the staff at PFI and sure enough, a few months down the road PFI contacted me expressing interest in hiring me permanently at their facility as a Boot Camp instructor. So, to make a long story short, and a short story even shorter; I was moved out here about six months later. Now, I am on the staff of few at PFI headquarters to actually instruct the same Boot Camps that forever changed my own life with the same people who forever changed my life and I have the opportunity to meet an incredible batch of current students filing through the personal training program that I can only hope to make an impact on and assist in forever changing THEIR lives in some way. You see, when you help someone else, you get something back in return whether it’s something on a mental or emotional level or whether it’s something physical. Although I hesitate to use the term ‘karma’ as I really prefer not to hold a word responsible for what works or doesn’t work in our favor. I hear all too often people using the word ‘karma’ to describe their current state of life when in reality, they should be looking at how or what they are or aren’t doing. All too often ‘bad’ karma is simply the result of breaking rules, being selfish or unkind, or just simply not reaching out to or for help. We need to understand that in order to get something in return, we have to give something first or after. ‘Good’ karma stems from those who are consistently dedicating their heart and soul to that of benefitting others. There is a self-fulfillment involved when you are someone’s inspiration and you can look at that vice-versa as well.

At PFI’s Boot Camp, from the time the students arrive from the airport to the time they board back up on their planes and head home, I am consistently in awe of these individuals. Ranging from all ages and backgrounds, each student brings something new and unique to the table and it’s always a surprise to see where the week is going to start as well as end. As soon as the students arrive from the airport, they are taken to their hotel to drop off their belongings, and then brought back to PFI for their warm welcome, lunch and usually some sort of activity as well whether it be a circuit training workout given by the one and only “Dr. Death” (once again, Darian Parker), or being taken to the Bodies Exhibit at the Luxor. Regardless of the activity, what I find desperately inspiring is how the students interact with each other. Many of them arrive knowing only a couple other students in the program, and there are always a few that come alone bearing no previous connections. Besides the fact that being an instructor at the Professional Fitness Institute is pretty darn awesome, one of my favorite components during these week succession is to watch the progression from the time the students arrive to when they leave. Always, always on the first day everyone is segregated into groups somehow with either the people they knew from school or the person they sat next to on the plane, or even just sitting alone because they don’t know anyone at all. One of the first things we do at PFI is divide the students up into random teams and they are to remain in these teams the entire week to compete for team points, which later account for prizes at the end of the week. The students go from not knowing the name of the person sitting next to them to putting full trust into each member of their team as they go through the activities and events that make them work together. There are always a few people that stand out from the get-go that are already programmed on team-player autopilot from the second they walk into the room. These individuals are exceptionally inspiring to watch as they unite their team and the rest of the Boot Camp together each day and create that harmony needed to become a true team. Throughout the week, they are paired up with the other teams they are competing against so they have a chance to get to know the entire Boot Camp. The activities are so fun to observe and the doors that open for the students are just phenomenal.

Working Boot Camp, for me, is like a personal training session multiplied by however many students are attending each month. Fitness is something that is universal and something that has profound effects on every single aspect of the human body. It affects us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and has the ability to amalgamate people to other people. It is something that is very personal to us and when fused together with other like people, the outcome is nothing short of inspirational.

During the week, there are many times where I find myself getting emotional, myself, in watching these different interactions between complete or almost complete strangers and how they choose to inspire others on their team or in camp at will. All of a sudden you will see someone start to lose energy during an intense workout and you can tell if they take another step or repetition that they are going down. They are just above and beyond their own physical capabilities in what it is they are doing and can’t find the motivation within themselves to take another step. Then, all of a sudden, another student will see this and run over and start motivating the person to keep going and that they ‘can do it!’. Almost always, the person who is failing will get up from where they are at and will raise their chins up just a little bit higher in the process. And this continues on throughout the week. You begin to see a bond happening between not just the teams, but throughout the entire Boot Camp as well where the fine line between individual teams begins to diminish and you see one solid team of aspiring fitness professionals. The gratification in watching this happen is something that no words can describe. It is truly amazing what a little inspiration can do.

You get what you give in every circumstance in life. I mean, think about it, as health practitioners and professionals, isn’t it the nature of our CAREER to give without expecting anything in return? Sure, our clients pay us for our services, but wasn’t it our intention to begin with to get into the health, wellness and fitness industry to help other people get well, stay well, and achieve their dreams and goals? We are essentially dedicating our lives to that of inspiring other people in a way that will help them make everlasting lifestyle changes to help them live a better, easier and more fulfilling life. Although they are purchasing our services, they are also looking to purchase US in hopes that we can provide our wealth, knowledge, experience and practices to benefit them because we become their inspiration. You cannot be selfish when you are in this industry, nor can you not be compassionate for other people. Our industry is all about giving and providing and that is how we should carry ourselves in every circumstance. We are life-changers, plain and simple, and it is and always will be our duty to genuinely want to make these changes in these people regardless of the compensation.

In essence, we need to always keep an open mind and put ourselves in others shoes, for it is our actions that ultimately influence the people and things around us. Keep with you the indescribable feeling of how you feel when you find inspiration and take some of your own and dust those around you with it everywhere you go. You might just make someone’s life by doing so.

Until next time, Faithful Reader…

“Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of Inspiration?”- George Eliot

“Without inspiration, the best powers of the mind remain dormant, and there is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” –Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Explore Different Paths to Create a More Scenic Drive

2009-07-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Driving up into the Ridges, you wouldn't think you were in this world, much less the Vegas Valley. To both your left and right are custom-made mansions (or maybe I should say 'castles'...) and lush plantation rarely seen throughout the rest of the desert. I found myself daydreaming as I drove excitedly through the Ridges in Summerlin for our monthly Connect To Fitness event being held at Club Ridges...

Almost to Club Ridges, my mind began reverting back to about five (or so) months ago when the whole 'idea' behind Connect To Fitness was just that... an idea. Thinking of the progression from then to now, I felt proud and grateful as I have been immensely fortunate to be so heavily involved in such an amazing and innovative project and organization. It's quite amazing what a little thought, drive and perseverance can give you if you keep pushing forward without looking back. My thoughts faded as I approached the guard at the entrance who has to confirm your invite and personally let you in. The drive to the fitness center is just so ridiculously scenic and tranquil and it’s enough to make you forget about the rest of life for that very moment. I pulled up to the parking lot at Club Ridges where my focus was automatically placed on the beautiful facility which is breath-taking in itself.

Located conveniently on a mountain basin, the Ridges is a gorgeous area in Summerlin that feels separated from the rest of the city. Set somewhere in the heart of this gorgeous, gated community is Club Ridges which is an upscale, residential fitness facility managed by none other than WTS International. The property itself is absolutely stunning with elegance and class and you would never guess just by looking at the facility that it has anything to do with fitness. It actually blends nicely with the mansions surrounding it. I guess the small giveaway is the large parking lot visible from the street which isn’t typical of a normal housing development. I swear you could be just in awe from the outside looking it, but I tell you what… You haven’t seen ANYthing until you have been inside. Traversing up to the doors with my short heels clip-clapping on the pavement (I’m NOT a fan of heels of any kind), I spotted Darian outside by the tennis lounge carrying a table from the outside tennis court area to the lounge which overlooks the courts. I switched my own route from the front door to meet and greet him and to get this thing started!

Although this particular time, I opted to go into a side door, if you were to be so fortunate to go through the front door, you would be (happily) greeted to your right by one of the lovely front desk employees who are diligently on their game in making sure each and EVERY guest and member is greeted as they come in, while they are visiting and as they proceed to leave the building as well. And unless you have never been into the facility, they will automatically know and greet you by name. After exchanging compliments with one of these awesome employees, you would most likely stop in your tracks and pinch yourself in disbelief. Sitting before your very eyes is this huge palace of a place they disguise as a fitness center that is exquisite in every sense of the word. You absolutely do not feel like you are in a gym, rather you feel as if you stepped into one of the houses you may have passed on your way to Club Ridges. Everything from the lighting to the color scheme are all set to portray a relaxing and divine environment that isn’t meant to be intimidating or overwhelming like some gyms can be. After lifting your jaw back up from the floor, if you were to turn your head left, you would view the group fitness/aerobics room (if you will) located in it’s own sort of secluded area of the facility overlooking the pool outside. The group fitness room itself is a decent size and there are many classes to be offered from Boot Camp to kids classes to Darian’s infamous Circuit Training (in which Darian also performs during the Professional Fitness Institute’s monthly Boot Camp, in which the students appropriately nick-named him ‘Dr. Death’). Looking straight ahead, before you would notice anything else, you would visibly notice the absolutely striking and dazzling pool area and you would more than likely stare and admire the fountains in the pool dancing and jetting while creating a magnificent ambiance. Once your gaze finally settles back indoors, you would notice the lush couches and chairs right in the front lobby which surround a massive, rock fire-place that you can warm-up next to during the coldest months of the year. If you take a slight right past the front desk, you will then come in contact with the fitness area. Now this, Faithful Reader, is a sight for sore eyes and THEN some. Using all Lifeline equipment, the fitness area is lined with full-sized windows that just as well give you a view of the pool area while also letting in the beautiful sunlight. Cardio equipment lines the left and front windows while the squat racks, functional machines, and dumbbells line the right wall. The middle of the floor houses the Lifeline machine area that is perfectly set up to complement the rest of the room. You will also find one of Club Ridges highly qualified personal trainers who will greet you as well and who will remember your name and your last visit and conversation (if you are a member, of course). The trainer will also make the offer to help with anything you might need and will be at your disposal for the entire time you are training or using the amenities. It truly is a delightful set-up. In front of the fitness area is a shelving unit stuffed with towels in unique and eye-catching arrangements and on top of the unit you will find the refreshment area staffed with a tea- and coffee-bar, ice water with some sort of fruit essence whether it be lemons, cucumbers, strawberries or a combination of any two. If you were to keep walking to your right, and turned to your right to face the service desk, you might notice the office behind the service desk where General Manager, Parisa Cooke can sometimes be found if you don’t see her always pleasant face traversing the facility. She is truly a gem worth getting to know and is one of the most friendly and sweet people you could ever meet. If you don’t say ‘Hi’ to her first, it is almost a guarantee that she will approach you at some point during your visit to drop a line herself. One of the things I credit to any WTS facility is the fact that more often than not, the members and workers are synonymous. I told Darian the first time I ever visited his facility that I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between who was staff and who were the members. It’s really a compliment as in many facilities there is a definite fine-line between who is working and who isn’t. I personally enjoy that touch as you automatically feel at ease and comforted as soon as you step into the facility. You can tell that the each employee genuinely cares about the people who come through the doors and there is no whiff of the hidden agendas you might get from being at another facility. A used-car dealership is not what you will get when you walk into a facility managed by WTS.

If you fix your gaze away from Parisa’s office and continue walking straight ahead, you will eventually come to the restroom/locker room area to your left and the tennis lounge slightly to the right. The restrooms are just awesome in themselves as you can find any amenity you could possibly think of needed to shower and get ready to go. Because a major goal of WTS standards is to provide the ultimate customer service experience, all you need to bring is a change of clothes and you need not worry about the rest as they have a mission to take care of and to cater to you (the member). The little touches throughout the facility that make things just a little easier and more convenient don’t go unnoticed and I, myself, am always in awe at each WTS facility I encounter or work at as I have never seen anything like it before. So, (and getting back on track) if you were to instead take the slight right into the tennis lounge, you might feel impelled to sit at the chair and table arrangement in the middle of the room and overlook the tennis courts and beautiful day or maybe you would head straight outside through the back door and instead have a seat in the shade at the tables with umbrellas set up next to the courts. There is also a basketball court to be seen and utilized as well if you take your line of vision a bit further. Coming back into the fitness area and travelling behind the building to the pool, you will be surprised at how lavish and divine the atmosphere is outside as you feel like you have travelled to an upscale spa at a high-end hotel and you might feel yourself in a disposition to fight the urge to lounge in a pool chair or to look around, make sure no one is watching, and take a dip in the clear, sparkling, blue water. There is also surround sound around the entire pool where relaxing music can be heard softly playing in the background. Once again, the ambiance is just unreal. Over to the right of this pool is another pool strictly for lap-swimmers so as to not inconvenience those who want to lounge, or those who want to swim hard. It is a very convenient concept that, again, the members benefit from.

An employee myself at two WTS properties (and hopefully a third soon!), I absolutely LOVE the company and what it ultimately stands for. As one of the world’s foremost managing and consulting firms for spas, fitness and recreation centers, WTS International manages properties both nationally and internationally and their facilities range from all different styles, sizes and types. You can find them anywhere from high-end spas, resorts and hotels, to golf and country club settings, luxurious residential properties, office sites, as well as master-planned community or recreational centers. They strive to provide excellence in the work environment and to help create and foster success both operational and foundational for the business. Having been around since 1973, they have helped develop some of the premier and top-notch facilities in the world to date. With a focus on employee and customer satisfaction, they have a unique way of creating an atmosphere desirable to all levels of employees and members. The turnover rate for any given facility is virtually nonexistent as they go through an extensive hiring process to seek out only the most qualified employees and they work hard to retain great rapport with each of them by being able to provide enough fiscal and financial support so the employees remain with the company without relying on another job to stay afloat. It is an ideal setting for anyone who wants nothing more but to cater to members without the pressure of meeting stressful demands and having to work in heavy traffic. Currently working for Dragon Ridge Tennis and Athletic Center as well as The Spa at Trump, I can voucher on behalf of experience that it is a fabulous company to work for. It is also a very difficult company to get into as spots don’t frequently open (remember: very low to nonexistent turn-over), and when they do have an opening, the company typically hires from within before outsourcing. Huge, huge, HUGE on customer and guest satisfaction, WTS standards succeed the norm and average by adding tremendous special touches to make members feel appreciated and catered to and they hold high standards for creating excellence within the workforce. At Dragon Ridge, located in Henderson at MacDonald Highlands, has been an amazing experience as I have really had the chance to be submerged in what it means to really treat your guests and facility with the utmost care and compassion. Working in residential fitness isn’t like your typical fast-paced gyms as the people file in and file out sporadically and the gym itself is never full. This is ideal for members as many of them look to residential fitness to get away from the atmosphere of typical fitness facilities. We are able to give them a more intimate experience where they can be known by name and accounted for each visit. Special touches include (but aren’t limited to) a hand towel on every machine made available to members, headphones they can borrow during their workout, complimentary coffee, cold towels and iced, lemon water in both the men’s and women’s locker room, water on the fitness floor, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in all the showers, lotion mouthwash, razors, combs, hairspray, and blow-dryers in the locker-rooms as well, choose-your-own-combination locks on the lockers so members don’t have to bring their own lock, eucalyptus spray to create an awesome aroma in the steam room, wash cloth and full towels in each locker room, free wi-fi, and employee recognition and availability at any and all times during their visit. Managed by WTS as well, The Spa at Trump utilizes many of these same special touches, but since the gym is a separate amenity at the Trump Hotel, we have different protocols and special touches we use for the guests that visit. One of these touches includes customizing each treatment to be enhanced to one of five different intentions. What I mean by this is that upon arrival, the guests are asked to pick what they are looking to get out of their treatment and what they want to feel like when they leave. The list of options includes calm, revitalize, balance, purify, and heal. The choices don’t actually affect the treatment itself, but the therapists use certain oils, scents, music, and colors to enhance their intention. Another great thing about this particular spa is the use of spa attendants and attachés. As an attaché, it is my job to arrive at the desk early to meet the guest as they walk in, give them a tour before having them get dressed, and to be by their side the entire time they are not in their treatment. It is even part of the job to introduce the guest to the therapist and we never call them by their first names unless specified by that guest to do so. The purpose is to make the guest comfortable by having someone by their side. It doesn’t make sense to have a guest stress out because they are lost, need something and can’t find it or don’t understand how to use something. They are coming to the spa to unwind and do the opposite of stress, so it’s important for us to make them feel that way during and after their experience with us. So, in a nutshell, working for a company such as WTS is much, much different than working for a typical corporation and high emphasis is placed around employee and customer satisfaction. The atmosphere is always laid back at these facilities and the emphasis is placed on treating your guests right and not being a sales-person to them. It’s refreshing for those who don’t have the personality type for that particular venue of the industry. If you haven’t checked out the WTS website, you can do so at www.WTSInternational.com. Look it over as it’s an awesome diamond in the rough that not many people have been exposed to. And trust me when I say that it’s a company worth knowing about.

Back to the present moment…

So, I walk into Club Ridges through the doors leading into the tennis lounge where my senses were met by the pristine scent of freshly brewed espresso. I noticed to my right there was a table set up showcasing iced lemon and strawberry water along with a vegetable tray, and straight ahead was the espresso machine (in which I immediately gravitated towards!). Up in the front, right of the room was another table set up for those who opted for one of many flavors and types of tea. As I mentioned before, you would NEVER guess this was a ‘gym’. Having got there a little early to help with set-up and provide the final finishing touches to the event. Walking diligently in and out of the tennis lounge were the gracious Club Ridges employees as well as power-team Darian and Parisa who were in mission mode to set up everything accordingly and to give an awesome presentation of their facility. At 4:00pm, guests began pouring in and the event began! We had a great turn-out and thank everyone who attended for taking the time out of their busy schedules to travel out and join us at the event. One of the things I most look forward to is the fact that I get to finally meet some of the friendly faces I have met via Facebook or other networking venues. I finally got to meet two girls (Alison Pontist and Chenee Marcias Marx), both whom I have had conversations with online. It was really fantastic and special to meet them and other connections face-to-face as it is obviously more personal. Each event I attend, I always end up meeting someone I connected with through technology and it is always a great experience to behold. As the event progressed, the room (as always) became filled with conversation and people mingled with each other the entire two hours. Twice during the event, Darian pulled names for prize-giveaways sponsored by Advantage Fitness Products (AFP), the Professional Fitness Institute (PFI), Lulu Lemon Athletica, and some house coffee and a water bottle donated by the staff at Club Ridges. The prizes were just awesome and I want to personally thank those who reach out at each event and choose to help out through graciously donating these awesome goodies to our events. The attendees are never disappointed and the prizes just keep getting better and better. Thank you to all who helped out with that as it is greatly appreciated! One of the other things I also enjoy about these events is the opportunity to mingle with my own coworkers outside of work. Although I love the work interaction as it is my absolute passion, it is also nice to have a conversation without being rushed away mid-sentence. I always am entertained as well by seeing my coworkers in their street clothes as we are always spoiled in the luxury of having to wear sweat pants, t-shirts and sneakers, all the while getting dirty and sweaty as the day progresses (although this doesn’t sound desirable… I’m sure you’d agree it really is a blessing in disguise to be a fitness professional and have the option of dressing down every day!). As the event began to come to a close and as guests started leaving, we gave them a parting gift as a token of our appreciation as well. With the ‘thank-you’ cards I bought this past week, I handwrote each guest a ‘thank-you’ and we were sure to give them to each guest as they left. As my own special touch, I wrote one for Darian and his wonderful wife, Michelle, as well as Parisa for helping to make this event possible. It’s the little things in life that mean the most sometimes.

As the event came to a close, I found myself thinking once again about how CTF is really expanding and reaching out to so many individuals. I’m always impressed with how the attendance rates keep increasing at the events and how many new and reoccurring faces I see and have gotten to know. I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting some really fantastic individuals who are doing some incredible things for the industry. I am fully inspired before, during and after each event and although there is a lot of work behind the scenes, it is always worth it in the end. Connect To Fitness has made some big baby steps in these past few months with both members, attendance rates, future plans, sponsors and booking event locations. We are only looking to expand further and hope that you, Faithful Reader, realize how valued you are to us and how much we appreciate your support and dedication to helping us as an organization grow and foster into something that can have an effect on more people in the world. We are growing by leaps and bounds and have many more great things in store for you in the future. For those of you who follow out of state, we will eventually be heading out your way as well as our plans to expand will be in effect after we are able to establish a solid foundation here in the Vegas Valley. We have two upcoming events in August to look forward to as well. One being here in Vegas early on in the month, and the other out in the beautiful Boulder City. Please RSVP and come see what we are all about! The Boulder City event will actually be pretty neat as there will be great networking opportunities to behold with different professionals in this town as well. The more people you know in this industry (or any), the better! Come out to one or both events and we look forward to seeing you there!

Until next week, Faithful Reader….

"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering." –St. Augustine

"If you cannot be the poet, be the poem.” –David Corradine

The ‘Personal’ in Personal Training

2009-07-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Scenerio: You are walking into a pressure-filled interview for the job of your dreams that will determine the rest of your future. You sit down with the big boss; palms sweaty and heart palpitating out of your chest, when the questions start rolling. The rest of your life could possibly be resting on this very moment and the only thing coming between you and your dream is the impression you leave on your possible future employer. How you answer the questions directed at you and how prepared you come to be open-minded, rational, honest, relatable and personable is the only elephant in the room standing between you and your calling. Your palms only keep perspiring and your heart is thumping so loud you can feel your own pulse resonating in your temples and in your fingertips. This is it. This is your moment. You begin to open your mouth to answer the first question and…

Do you sink? OR… Do you swim?

For those of you in the health, wellness and fitness industry, you are probably asking yourself “What does this have to do with anything?”, and my answer to you is “Everything”. If you think our careers aren’t based off of making good first, last and lasting impressions, you couldn’t be more mistaken.

Going back to last week’s spiel on the ‘trainers’ who are shaming our industry into reputable danger, I have yet another story to share with you that just so happened to occur the day after my last blog went live…

While at the same gym training, I was once again minding my own business when my trainer-brain got the best of me and I found myself, again, observing the young trainer right behind me as he trained his severely de-conditioned, senior client on the cable crossovers doing tricep-pushdowns with a rope attachment. Even though I had my IPOD in both ears and could hear nothing around me over the music, I could still tell the woman was only half into her workout as she did the motions lifelessly while anxiously talking her trainer’s ear off. And when I say ‘talk’, I mean non-stop-without-a-pause-or-a-breath type stuff. It was almost endearing in a way to see how her eyes never peeled away from her trainer and how she was completely confiding in him with whatever issue I could not hear at the moment. Her excitement had even me excited and once I could finally peel my own eyes away from her and look at her trainer to see how enticed he was…. My heart sank. This so-called ‘trainer’ was standing with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, hands were rolled into fists, his foot was tapping in what appeared to be annoyance, his face showed absolutely no hint of expression other than pursed lips, and his gaze was up at the television on the wall in the front of the room which was displaying sport recaps on ESPN. And yet the woman, still outright and obviously thrilled to be sharing her story to this person, kept talking up a storm, bad exercise form, bad posture and all. Boy did my blood pressure rise. I racked up my dumbbells even though I hadn’t finished even one set yet, and chose to conveniently station myself instead at the cable-crossovers on an apparatus separate, but next to where this ‘trainer’ and client stood. I took out my earphones and went through the motions myself of an exercise just so I didn’t appear to be nosey (although I will fully admit to being exactly that), and Just. Simply. Listened. As hypothesized, the woman never appeared to even take a breath as she was eagerly and elatedly talking about her granddaughter’s graduation and how proud she was of her while her ‘trainer’ fixated his stare to the TV monitor in front of him. I swear his foot-tapping got louder by the moment and his fists only grew tighter. I could not BELIEVE I was witnessing this! And he never even said ONE word the ENTIRE time! Nothing. Nadda. Zip. Not even to correct her bad form! When I couldn’t bear to stick around any longer, I, myself, took off with clenched fists of my own and observed from afar as the conversation eventually died down and the woman ended up just completely ceasing any conversation as she eventually got the point that she wasn’t receiving any feedback. After her session ended, she didn’t even get so much of a ‘goodbye’ from her sad-excuse of a ‘trainer’. In reading this, what can you assume this woman’s impression was of this trainer?

Just as a trainer conducts an initial interview on a client, the client is absolutely observing the client and getting a feel for an intention and a looking for a good impression as well. You are being interviewed for their own piece of mind and in order to be successful in the field of personal training, you have to realize this and learn how to adapt to the different people who come to you for your expertise and knowledge to help them reach their goals and aspirations in regards to how they want to feel both mentally and physically. Personal training in itself is an art-form and there is a definite reason as to why they call it ‘The Art of Personal Training’. It is an extremely personal art form that will be different for each person you come in contact with. There is truly no ‘one size fits all’ technique to personal training as each person will need to have a specific program designed to fit their specific needs. What works for one person will not be the same for the next person or the person after that. There is also a reason why another name for program planning is ‘exercise prescription’. As a trainer, your career rests on helping your clients reach their long- and short-term goals. It is your JOB to find out and know any contraindications your client(s) may have and to do thorough physical and mental assessments to find and dig up any possible information you can about your client in order to effectively design their training program. No two people will ever have the same exact goals, health issues, wants, needs, desires, physical and mental capabilities and restrictions, nutrition… and the list goes on, and there is no reason that any two people should have the same program.

These ‘trainers’ who don’t take the time to get to know the in’s and out’s of their clientele are actually doing more harm than good as there is no one way to do personal training. By not conducting fitness assessments and in not taking proper time to analyze and find out as much information as possible about your client, you are putting a disadvantage on both yourself and your client, not to mention you are also putting them in danger of being injured or worse. Say you have a client come to you with severe cardiovascular health problems and contraindications. If you aren’t taking the time out initially to make note of these health issues and you design a program for them similar to that of one of your more athletic clients; guess what? You are going to have some REAL problems yourself. Or what if your client comes to you with a history of rotator cuff problems and you further the problem by injuring them during a shoulder press as you didn’t take the time to design a program that worked around and with their contraindications. Guess what again? You are going to have some considerable explaining to do.

Just as well, personal training is a very mental and psychological game also as you must be able to adapt to and mold your own personality to mesh with opposing, opposite, different or similar personality types. Reverting back to the interview process, the impression we leave on our clients, regardless of the extent to which we are a wealth of text-book knowledge, is what will be the main determinant in whether or not our client’s stick with us or seek other options. How we interact with our client, how we make them feel, and if we can make them believe in us and in themselves is extremely foundational and of vital importance in being successful in this industry. Speaking from experience, during any given training session, you (as the trainer) WILL become a therapist, a confidant, a friend, a mentor, an idol, an answer book, and they will view you as the light at the end of their tunnel to meet their own goals. Part of what some people pay you to do is be these things to them. You are helping them and they learn to trust you with their health, time, LIFE and words. If you can’t make adjustments to accept this, then this is the wrong career choice for you. Embrace what your clients are telling you as THEY are the ones paying for your time. The hour they are with you on any given day is THEIR time. Without the client, no trainer would have a career. This is key to remember as they are talking to you. It is a proven FACT that the one universal topic that people like to talk about is (surprise!) themselves. People love to talk about themselves and as the trainer, you should feel honored that this specific person thinks enough of you to tell you the things that are most important to them. They could tell anyone else in the entire world, and they are choosing to tell you. The trainer I witnessed the other day was truly ungrateful for this act of generosity and I would be willing to bet that he will never fare as a success in this industry as he lacks the personal skills needed to be effective and ‘personal’.

And this all ties in, once again, with having the credentials as far as education and certification to meet the demands of knowing how to be effectual with general as well as special populations. In a perfect world, everyone would be happy, healthy and wouldn’t suffer from any diseases or have any past or present injuries that we should be aware of. But then again… isn’t it these SAME, exact people who give us our employment to begin with? Sure, there are vast amounts of athletes and people who are pretty healthy that train consistently on a daily basis, but if you aren’t working solely with that specific population and demographic, them you will find that the typical client isn’t going to be healthy and athletic. They are going to be part of the vast majority of the country who are overweight, obese, or who are well on their way to becoming so. That is the ‘typical’ client. As the trainer, you are responsible for being cognizant of these areas of concern and working around them; many times working closely with a doctor, dietician, or other professional or specialist. The emphasis on the importance of these issues can’t be stressed enough and the fact that so many trainers aren’t even taught in their eight-hour certification courses that they should be investigating and seeking out more information from their clients is truly unjust and uncalled for and these ‘trainers’ really have no business working with clients of any health and fitness level.

A huge reason that many people don’t take an initiative to start training is simply that they don’t like it, they fear embarrassment or they honestly feel they just will never be able to do it. A big part of being a trainer is the ability to not only change lives, but to change minds. It’s tough for anyone to start from the bottom of anything and work their way up while maintaining strict self-discipline and the ability to be consistent over a long period of time without wavering. By teaching and educating clients about their bodies and by constantly encouraging and motivating them to continue on regardless of how tough or ‘impossible’ it seems, you are giving them a reason to come back each day and each week. By pointing out improvements in measurements, assessment times, body composition, and other tangible readings and results, you are constantly reiterating to them that they can, indeed, do this and that they are making strides both big and small in their progress. It is also of importance to design a program not only around what each client needs, but what they WANT as well. You could have the best possible program in the world for your client, but if they don’t actually enjoy what they are doing, the chances of them sticking with the program long-term are slim. No one wants to endure something that isn’t enjoyable and making the program as FUN as possible will give your client an incentive to return each day and to show up for each session.

In every way, you need to match your client and be on their level whether it’s by personality or by being aware of what may or may not need to happen in order for them to reach their goals. In being a personal trainer, taking value in what the client wants, needs and desires is exactly what they are hiring you for. People seek a trainer not because they just feel like it, but because whatever they have tried, are doing and have thought about doing just hasn’t been working for them and they are desperate for a solution. And YOU are that solution. YOU are what is going to make things all better for them and you are what they have come to believe can change things for them and help them attain their goals and aspirations. You are what is going to help them get off their blood pressure medication and who is going to motivate, inspire and hold them accountable for showing up at the gym each session. If they felt they could do it on their own, they would not need a trainer to begin with and they would never have stepped through your doors in search of an alternative to what they are doing wrong or aren’t doing at all. You, the trainer, are who their doctor recommended they see as a supplement to whatever other treatments they are receiving. You are their life saver!

Being a personal trainer isn’t a one way street. Rather it’s an endless and constant changing path that must be followed and traversed around every single corner and turn and not kept at a standstill. Be personal and be prepared to be more than just a trainer. And lastly, watch your clients, pay attention to them and for goodness sakes- LISTEN to them and get ‘personal’.

Until next week, Faithful Reader…

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand." – Woodrow Wilson

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent..." –Calvin Coolidge

To Be (Certified) or Not to Be (Certified)? THAT is the Question.

2009-07-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

I don’t know about you, but something must be done. I am going to go on about a subject that has stirred up a lot of controversy and I am going to put my foot down once and for all because something has got to give! I am talking about actual, accredited, personal training certifications.

The other day, I was minding my own business as usual walking through the gym I belong to getting mentally prepared to do a Crossfit training session that one of my most cherished friends turned me on to. In the zone, I was thinking strong, positive thoughts and focusing on preparing myself for the next ten minutes or so of my life when I happened to almost run straight into a girl balancing on an upside down Bosu Ball doing squats. I stopped mid-stride. Then I did a double take as I followed her gaze to the right. Standing there looking at himself in the mirror (and a completely different mirror than Bosu Girl) and talking on his cell phone was… her ‘certified’ personal trainer. The sight of this made me want to rip out my hair and I haven’t been able to shake the sight ever since. So, here I am on a Monday, hoping to get some piece of mind by sharing my thoughts on a sensitive subject with you, Faithful Reader, in hopes of gaining some new insight for myself as well as from you.

I’m sure we have all had or know someone directly who has had a bad gym experience. And by bad, I mean that they were misguided, injured, demotivated, misinformed, or stood up by their trainer or another ‘professional’ in their chosen facility. Some people even quit going to the gym altogether after having a negative gym experience. And these ‘professionals’ are giving those of us who have actually gone the extra mile to assure we have the knowledge, competence, skill-level, and degrees and certifications to be effective in this industry. Sadly and unfortunately enough, there aren’t many guidelines in the health industry when it comes to personal training and what you should or shouldn’t have to be an effective trainer. Now, before assuming I am just going off bias, I want you to fully understand that I realize there are exceptions to every rule. I definitely know some effective trainers who didn’t go through formal education and who don’t hold accredited certifications who truly make amazing trainers as they have taken the time to educate themselves and who have a natural ability and personality-type in order to be a people-person. And on the other hand, I also know some extremely educated trainers with multiple degrees and certifications who don’t have the social and personal skills to be an effective trainer. But, all in all, personal training is the only field in the health industry that isn’t regulated with standards and guidelines.

Being a certified professional trainer myself through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), I feel strongly about the benefits of formal education and degrees as I now realize what all is entailed when you deal with the health and LIFE of another person. This profession has gained a reputation as being somewhat of a joke and many people think that just because they enjoy working out themselves that that gives them permission to help other people train as well. This is where I begin to get finicky and when I put my foot down as these people are setting themselves, their clients and the industry up for failure. Folks, there is much more that goes into being a personal trainer than how to stick somebody into a machine and count reps for them. In getting into the industry myself, I admit to not realizing what I was in for when I enrolled into college. I thought like most other people that I would be fine as I thought so long as I knew how to properly workout correctly that the rest couldn’t be too bad. Boy was I in for a surprise! Personal Training in itself is an art-form and there is no one-size-fits-all protocol like the majority of people believe. Each aspect of health, wellness and fitness can and needs to be specialized to the individual person/client being worked with. Not to mention the extent of and depth of each subject. From anatomy and physiology, nutrition and kinesiology, business and psychology… the list just goes on. And each of these subjects is a major in itself that can take years, if not a lifetime, to grasp ahold of. The human body is not a simple thing and even more astonishing is how each body is no more similar than the fingerprints of each person in the world. Our body’s ARE our fingerprints. They are unique to us and what we need on an individual level will be completely different than the person standing next to us. While most people can’t fathom how to take care of themselves to begin with, how can people off the street who might know little else other than how to lift a few weights help people achieve their own goals when they have no formal education on what goes into customizing an exercise prescription for any given person who approaches them for health?

I was completely thrown for a loop in all I didn’t know and still have yet to learn on my own journey and can’t even fathom how or why a company would want to hire a person without making a judgment on their abilities to be an effective trainer and their capabilities in literally changing people’s lives. Excuse my harshness, but those people who think they can just take an 8-hour certification course and jump into being a trainer need to get an ego check as they do not deserve to be in this industry. Folks, we are dealing with lives here and the vast majority of the people in the world suffer from health ailments either controlled or uncontrolled that are detrimental to the everyday aspects of life whether it is a torn ligament to a stage 3 cancer patient. How can the health industry possibly allow the well-being of these people to be placed in the hands of someone with little or no formal training? As trainers, we will be exposed to every and all different clientele and each person comes equipped with their own limitations, contraindications, mental and physical health quandaries, health risk factors, likes and dislikes… and the list goes on and on and on! When these clients are placed with a one-size-fits-all trainer, injuries, damages and sometimes even deaths are more apt to happen and the client will actually be worse off than before they sought out the confidence and knowledge of their ‘trainer’. Doesn’t anyone else see a problem with this?

Just as well, when it comes to certifications, how does an aspiring trainer successfully pick a legit certification and even better still, how does a client know what to look for in a hiring a potential trainer? As this question gains popularity, controversy, and discussion with what little guidelines we have thus far, it is no argument that the best of the best certifications are nationally accredited through a certifying agency that basically acts in narrowing down the good from the bad in personal training. With over 400 certifications to date (and growing!), relying on a certification agency such as the National Committee for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), under the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), is a viable resource as it serves as a benchmark and foundation to which other organizations should manage and conduct certifications. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), within these 400- some odd certifications that exist; only a handful have been awarded an accreditation. These specific certifications are what set legitimate certifications apart from other less distinguished and challenging certifications out there. With all these certifications floating around, it is no wonder that business owners, trainers and clients get caught up in confusion or oblivion on what they should be looking to strive for. In looking for the actual certification in itself, there are a few that stand out in the crowd such as (in no specific order) the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Although by no means the only accredited certifications, they are more widely recognized both nationally and internationally than any other certifications in the world. In having the different agencies meet certain standards and regulations through an accreditation process, the fear of possibly attaining a certification of little or no value can be eliminated. Trainers and clients alike should do their research in deciphering the good from the bad as it will only enhance both the efficiency of the trainer and experience of the client. And just as well, each certification brings something different to the table, so it is up to the trainer to pick and choose the certifications that best compliment their own interests and goals.

If it is this simple and obvious, you are asking, than why isn’t there a law or bill in effect already that can put a stop to this mess? As I mentioned earlier, just because a trainer has a degree or certification under their belt doesn’t necessarily guarantee the trainer is going to be a success or that they will be better than the person next to them who isn’t a college graduate or who doesn’t hold an accredited certification. A piece of paper can’t dictate a person’s career and many companies, corporations and businesses alike agree that it would be a waste of time, effort and money to put such a ban in effect. But truly think about it: Why is it that personal training is the ONLY branch of the health, wellness and fitness community that DOESN’T have any qualifications that should be met? Would it make sense for a person to deem themselves a brain surgeon if their “qualifications” consisted of watching a how-to documentary on television? Or if someone who is up to date on all the latest diet trends had the nerve to call themselves a dietician? Makes you shudder, huh? Well, why then, should it be any different for personal training? Just because someone thinks they know to train for themselves, why should that give them the right to train others? Also to be taken into consideration is this: As trainers, we spend, on average, anywhere from 1-4 hours/week with our clients and many times if our clients are loyal, we may have them for years upon years. It’s funny how doctor’s, dentists, and most other health care providers see their clients once or twice per year (on average), yet the standards to meet with both education and degrees are so extensive. Personal trainers see their clients more than any other branch of the health, wellness and fitness industry, yet pretty much anyone on the planet can become self-professed ‘trainer’ in the course of one weekend’s time! Although I am open-minded to the controversy, I just can’t see past the completely palpable fact that when it comes down to it, there is no excuse for not having a bill, ban or regulation on the personal training industry!

Although states have been lobbying passing a bill regulating the licensing of personal trainers for the past 20 years, state legislatures have just begun recently to really push the commencement of bills that will take a closer look at the qualifications of personal trainers. A few states that have already effectively introduced bills requiring personal trainers be licensed are Massachusetts, Jew Jersey, Maryland, and Georgia as well as the District of Columbia. One of the main organizations lobbying against passing these bills is the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). They say ‘why’ create accreditations for certification industries when the personal training industry has already regulated itself through the use of the NCCA. The problem with having a bill passed, they say, is due to unnecessary monetary involvement with everyone from the trainer to the state. There is also not a firm legislature that all states can conform to. However, on the flip-side, those in favor of passing a bill state that it would help to prevent injuries caused in part by unqualified personal trainers, it would weed out the ‘trainers’ who settle on taking a cheap and easy certification just to have one, and it would also create an unvarying harmony among the different methods of accreditation that would be synonymous across the board. In creating this harmony, better, more efficient personal trainers would be produced.

I don’t know about you, but upon getting into this industry and in doing something that I am absolutely passionate about and consumed by, it was really a no-brainer in that I wanted to strive for the best of the best. I feel that by creating a bill to license trainers to achieve certain credentials, the people who don’t take this industry seriously will step down instead of screwing up by not being able to see in front of or behind their egos. I feel that when something is your passion, the sacrifice of achieving something a little more challenging would be a reward and honor to those people and that ultimately it would help to unite the industry and the people who take it seriously. Faithful Reader, we are talking about human beings here. This isn’t a game. We are dealing with changing people’s lives and in helping them achieve their goals. And beyond that aspect, many clients come to the gym looking for ways to ease their symptoms, rehabilitate injuries and even cure disease. Most of the people that step into a gym are not healthy and we are making a serious mistake by putting those responsibilities into the hands of 8-hour-certification-Joe. As trainers we are still health care providers and our industry should be just as regulated as those we share the business with.

In obtaining a nationally accredited certification, some things, of course, will not be the same across the board with every trainer (such as the guarantee for success), but the benefits and pros ultimately outweigh the cons. Being certified puts the standard on professionals that they will have met a specific minimum of knowledge, skills and abilities in such areas as anatomy, physiology, proper technique and program design, psychology, and in regards to the business of personal training. It also helps those who want to stand out among the rest in that it shows commitment and compliance in meeting certain standards. This is a benefit to employers, clients and other trainers who can then determine those who went the extra mile and who aren’t starting from the bottom. These standards are especially beneficial to the client in that they can be assured that their trainer has the knowledge to bestow upon them safe and effective training program designs and guidelines. Most certifications cover areas of concern, such as special populations, that can ensue that the trainer has the knowledge of following safe and proper standards for the population they are working with as well. On behalf of the trainer, it also makes them more marketable and valuable to employers when they have an accredited certification or degree to show for. And one of my favorite things about being certified through a nationally recognized agency is that you are continually offered continuing education and must attain a certain amount of CEUs/CECs to have your certification renewed. This keeps the trainer up-to-date with the latest fitness trends and the latest in scientific advancement (once again, valuable for employers as well as clients), and it shows that the trainer is willing to put in the time to maintain and nourish their foundational knowledge, but also that they are just as willing to continue learning and progressing as trainer. And the best part about these CEUs?? They are a BLAST!

Speaking from experience, I can voucher that there has never been anytime during an interview where my possible future employer wasn’t impressed with my certification. It automatically tells a lot about the individual and it almost assures comfort in the employer as they can be sure their staff is educated and driven as well as possessing the passion to go all out and to physically and mentally want to stand out in the industry among the others. After what I went through to obtain my own certification, I can honestly say that I feel more confident in my field. By no means a genius, I have the tools and knowledge to help people within my scope of practice and I also have the knowledge of when and how to refer a client so they can reach their goals even if it isn’t something I specialize in. This is a mistake many trainers without proper education aren’t doing in their assessment process with their clients and this is exactly why injuries, damages and deaths occur more frequently in these trainers versus someone who knows what to look for and what to do in these situations. Again, we are dealing with real people who have real problems and who need real help. Why on EARTH would you trust someone who has no knowledge of this to be responsible for helping this population, or ANY population for that matter? Just like that fateful (and frightful) day at the gym, it is enough to make you throw your hands in the air and want to rip your hair out all at once.

Having moved out to Vegas and having explored what the fitness industry has to offer out here, I am truly impressed with what I see, but I am also extremely passionate about having a sound protocol that would help to eliminate the people who aren’t truly passionate about what they do. One of the things I love about living here is the drive and motivation that so many people possess. I constantly am around the most positive people I have ever met in my life who strive for greatness within themselves and others. It is truly inspirational and I wake up every morning and go to sleep every night grateful for being blessed with such an amazing and successful move to such a wonderful city as Las Vegas. Connect To Fitness has really brought me up close and personal with some incredible individuals who go above and beyond what most people do in their entire lives. In being a passionate person, and in knowing the gratification that actually comes from helping individuals lead better lives for themselves through the art of personal training, it is my just belief that you can’t help others unless you can help yourself and if you aren’t taking the steps needed to help better your knowledge and career as a personal trainer, I personally don’t think you have any business being in this industry. I also believe if you love what you do, then nothing will stop you from aspiring to be the best. Being involved with Connect To Fitness has even more-so boosted my drive to want to not only help save as many lives as I can directly in my own career as a trainer, but also to stand tall and speak up for the issues plaguing the industry today in hopes that maybe I will be able to save some lives indirectly as well. Connect To Fitness strives to push for excellence in the industry and also to push for the excellent people in the industry as well. The networking aspect has really made a difference in the lives it has touched so far, and I hope more of you will strive to get involved as it can help introduce you to the people and places you might benefit from as well to help you get to your next career stepping-stone. Stand tall with us and help us find ways to make our industry more proficient by creating the lasting relationships that can unite the passionate professionals in the industry together.

What are your views, Faithful Reader? I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts regarding certifications as I feel strongly on the subject. Even if your views don’t match mine, I would still enjoy hearing what it is you have on your mind regarding the industry, certifications, degrees, accreditations, and your own stories and opinions on the matter. Please write me via Facebook or Myspace, or feel free to email me at EPfitness7@gmail.com so I can get your viewpoints. It would be great to have a discussion regarding such a matter and to have a follow up discussion on what your views are. I am honored to be in the same industry as you and it is only together that we can make a difference in this world. What do you feel should be done regarding this matter and whether or not you agree or disagree with my viewpoint, why do you feel that way? Should we push for a bill, or is their an easier, more economical way to solve this problem within the industry? And please feel free to ask me any questions as well. I enjoy a good conversation about a great subject and am very open-minded in discussing different viewpoints. And just as well, what certifications do you have or do you recommend when trying to become established in the industry? What are your top picks and why? I really look forward to hearing from you and in seeing what your viewpoints are. Let’s get some controversy rolling!

So you see, Faithful Reader, this isn’t about me, this isn’t about you. It’s about US and what we are willing to do to change what is wrong about the industry we have dedicated our lives to. With your reputation on the line and the state of the industry in our hands, how long are you willing to sit still and to keep quiet?

Until next time, Faithful Reader...

“All labor that uplifts humanity, has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart, give yourself to it.” –The Buddah

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand." –Woodrow Wilson

A Tale of Triumph

2009-06-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Preparing to leave, I had no idea what to expect, but I felt excited none-the-less. It was about a quarter to 6:00pm and the event started at 7:30. I double checked to make sure nothing on my checklist was forgotten, and out the door I went to the Connect To Fitness Event taking place at Lulu Lemon Athletica at 7:30.

After planning this event for a couple months, I rethought the process on my way to pick up a generous donation from Tropical Smoothie Café off of Horizon Ridge and smiled to myself as the sun gleamed down and made my eyes squint. Pulling into Tropical Smoothie, I walked in, introduced myself once again and was greeted by the owner, Dan Lasker, who ever-so-graciously donated an ENTIRE, packed cooler of over fifty regular size smoothies for me to take to the event. After talking with him for a little bit and exchanging ‘thank-yous’, I got back in my car and began my journey down to Lulu Lemon Athletica in the Fashion Show Mall off of Las Vegas Boulevard on the glamourous Strip of Las Vegas. The music on the radio was remixed by the ice in the cooler shaking around. In that very moment, I thought to myself that life doesn’t get any better.

Admiring my surroundings and looking up at the larger-than-life buildings that make up the incredible 7-mile Strip, I felt a wave of accomplishment as I pulled into the self-parking garage at Fashion Show Mall and parked on the second floor. From there I was greeted by the man behind the vision of Connect To Fitness, Dr. Darian Parker, who, as usual, was kind enough to assist in lugging in all my bags and the smoothie cooler. Having never been to the Fashion Show Mall, I was taken aback as we walked through the absolutely breath-taking shopping center and felt humbled once again at how over-the-top and outrageous Las Vegas really is. While traversing on the second story, I peered down below to the first level over the balcony that passed me by and admired all the glitz and glamour all around me in both my surroundings as well as the other people in the shopping center. To my left, shop owners were finishing their closing duties and a few doors closed up shop in passing as well. While carrying on a conversation with Darian he pointed out that we were headed to the red ‘horse-shoe looking thing’ in the distance, so it was there that I kept my focus as we neared our destination.

As we approached Lulu Lemon, another wave of excitement went through me as I realized this was it. This was our moment to shine and that is exactly what we were going to do. We finally arrived and walked through the giant, red horse-shoe and I briefly stopped to admire the giant yellow ‘Lulu Lemon Athletica’ sign encasing the horse-shoe. Putting my smile on once again and never taking it off the entire night, I walked wide-eyed into Lulu Lemon and was graciously welcomed by both the actual employees AND the customers! What a place! Every color imaginable was either embellished into the walls and displays or mixed in with the huge selection of athletic wear that was displayed so perfectly. Over to my left was the check-out counter with some eye-catching artwork on the walls around the desk and the display case on the far right wall. As customers browsed the isles, I walked around and couldn’t help but admire the work and creativity that had gone into making this place so stimulating. Colorful hoodies, yoga and fitness pants lined the left-hand wall and encircled to the back where it eventually meets up with the changing room and restroom area. Set up next to the changing rooms was a large container of crystal clear water with lemons floating tranquilly near the brim. Heading over to the right side of the store, you come face to face with a display case overflowing with yoga mats of every shade and more clothing displays with t-shirts, undergarments, tank-tops, shorts, adorable purses, and of course the adorable mannequins posing in the front windows wearing the most trendy fitness gear available. Centered in the middle of the store as a median, is a display of clothing parallel to the walls on either side. Hanging on the front of the display facing the entrance is a giant, hand-made ‘book’ of all things Lulu Lemon. From advertising and photos to research and exercise, this creation was truly remarkable to look at as each giant ‘page’ had so much thought and work behind it. There was even a Connect To Fitness page designed by CTF Volunteer Coordinator (and Lulu Lemon employee), Heather Doane.

As the rest of the mall was closing down, our event was just getting started. Guests were piling through the door right at 7:30 and continued to pile in sporadically throughout the event as people stopped by. A CTF table was set up in front where I stood to greet guests, have them sign-in and make name tags and where they also received their raffle ticket for our prize giveaways. On the side of the table were the cooler of Tropical Smoothies as well as another cooler of bottled water and Vitamin Water sponsored by the Professional Fitness Institute and brought by PFI President Charles Ware and his delightful wife, Hannah. As more and more people gathered in, the sound of conversations and connections began to fill the room. An array of people including personal trainers (both independently contracted and employed), business owners, massage therapists, exercise instructors, dieticians, as well as business creators, innovators and entrepreneurs traversed the event while conversing with old friends and connecting with new. There were also many people who specialize in more than one profession who were had incredible stories as well.

New to our events, a few trainers and coaches from Las Vegas’s own Crossfit facility on E Sunset Road stopped by to connect and to demo an interactive workout let by Crossfit trainer and coach, Joe Marsh. Volunteers as well as the rest of the Crossfit staff performed a 4-minute workout consisting of nothing but squats and isometric squat holds while the rest of us watched on feeling the participant’s pain. If you haven’t yet heard of Crossfit, it is something worth checking out as it is one of the fastest growing methods of training to date. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out as it is a tool you will want to have in your toolbox as it is gaining popularity among the masses. Having done Crossfit before, I can voucher for it’s difficulty, high intensity as well as benefits (not to mention not being able to move after any given training session). It never hurts to broaden your horizons and keep up with what’s new and exciting in the industry. Check out their site and see for yourself! (http://www.crossfitlv.typepad.com/)

We also had two separate raffles where we were able to give away some pretty awesome prizes. Along with Tropical Smoothie, we were also able to connect with Starbucks, who kindly donated three whole pounds of coffee to our prize giveaway and PFI once again donated a PFI logo backpack stuffed with goodies as well. A big kudos as well to the always inspiring Scott Lenz from Advantage Fitness Products for supplying us with his ever-so-popular fitness travel kit, which is always a huge success at our events. Lulu Lemon also took part by donating a few invitations to schedule a time to come into the store and be a tester of their apparel. Not only do they fit you personally for whatever you chose to wear, but you also get to take them home, wear them wherever you please and the only catch is they ask you to provide them with feedback on the articles of clothing so they can have knowledge of what customers love and what could be improved. They realize that, ultimately, it’s not just about the sales made, but about customer satisfaction. They truly go above and beyond to create a lasting impression on both the fitness industry and fitness apparel industry.

If you aren’t familiar with Lulu Lemon Athletica, stop by the Fashion show mall and head to the second story where you can stop in, say ‘hello’ and enjoy the amazing ambiance the store has to offer. You will continue to be in awe of all they have to offer. Aside from fitness apparel, they are also huge into giving back to the community. If you check out their website (http://www.lululemon.com/) you will come across the ‘Community’ tab at the top of the page where you can check out all they are doing. From their Monthly Challenge to their Charitable Giving Program, they truly stand out among the rest in their openness to contribute to others. They also offer actual yoga classes and they also have an open invitation on their bathroom door inviting anyone and everyone to meet up every Thursday in front of Starbucks at 6:00am to run the Strip. They have a way of being versatile in their endeavors and in being so incredibly accepting and open-minded about other people and other causes. You cannot walk into their store without catching the infectious positivity from the staff. You feel like you are in another world in their store and for just a minute you even forget you are in the always fast-paced city of Las Vegas. The ambiance is second to none and I suggest you check out Lulu Lemon under the hightest of recommendations. You will not be disappointed you did!

One of the things I love most about meeting and connecting with new people in the health, wellness and fitness industry is there is never a time I haven’t heard a story that inspired me in some way as to how the person entered the industry and why they chose the path and direction they are headed in presently. It seems each professional at some point, has had an ‘Aha’ moment that changed them forever. It is always so incredibly humbling to hear the different ways these people are not only impacting the people around them, but also the industry itself. Each person is making an incredible contribution to their field of choice and in seeing so many different career choices in one room, I couldn’t help but think how wonderful it will be when we all connect and find better and more efficient ways to improve our own careers and the lives of the people we are in contact with each day. In helping to close that six degrees of separation between health, wellness and fitness professionals, we will find that we can more easily help our clients as we can then refer to our connections when we may not specialize in something our client may benefit from having. Not a single one of us can say we know-it-all and if we continue on attempting to be selfish, we are doing nothing but hurting our own careers as well as our clients. Open your mind to creating connections with others as you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. As we all know: No man is self made, and it is only together that we will be able to make a lasting impact and impression on our industry.

If you haven’t yet made it to a Connect To Fitness Event, you are really missing out on a very valuable and fun treat! In just sparing an hour or two of your time a month, you could ultimately make the connections that will help benefit you, your career and your future. The event last night was an absolute blast and many beneficial connections were made throughout the night between all who attended. There are listings of the next couple events on Facebook under our page ‘Las Vegas Connect To Fitness Networking Group’. If you have access to Facebook and haven’t yet checked us out, please do and stay in the loop as Darian does a tremendous job of keeping an updated news stream on the page for all to follow. By following our page, you will also receive messages detailing invitations, reminders, opportunities, more on what’s new, sponsor information and volunteer information. Please follow along and join our team!

Also, Darian, Heather and I are really trying to reach out and connect with you, Faithful Reader, by setting up meetings and making efforts to visit new facilities. If you would like to become more involved with CTF, have a great story or facility you would like to share, are looking to get into volunteering around the community, please, PLEASE don’t hesitate to get in touch. We established this organization to benefit you which will ultimately benefit the entire industry. Las Vegas is a melting pot where anything and everything is possible. With so much potential and opportunity awaiting, we want to get the word out on you and what you believe in as well because it is only with your help that we can be Las Vegas’s premier networking organization for the health, wellness and fitness professionals of Las Vegas. Email Darian or I at ConnectToFitness@gmail.com, DarianParker@gmail.com or EPfitness7@gmail.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/Connect2Fitness, where we are always streaming information as well. Jump on the CTF train and join us in making the world a better place. We look forward to hearing from you and connecting with you!

And lastly… on behalf of Connect To Fitness, I would like to send out a MASSIVE ‘Thank-you’ to all who helped make this event such a success. We couldn’t have done it without the help of all of our sponsors and, of course, our members and followers who continue to help us grow and prosper into a thriving organization. I would also like to thank each of you who came out to the event last night and we hope you had as wonderful of a time as we did. All the hard work that goes on behind the scenes is always worth it when we receive such glowing feedback from those who attend and benefit from what we are trying to accomplish. A big ‘thank you’ as well to Lulu Lemon for allowing us to take over their store for 2 hours and in all the help and contributions they continue to make for CTF. You are all amazing and we are so happy to be involved with you. Thank you as well to Charles at PFI for always being such an awesome supporter and for all your contributions to CTF, Scott Lenz for your positivity always and for your donation and continual support of CTF, Dan from Tropical Smoothie Café, and Dale from Starbucks. I couldn’t finish this paragraph either without giving a round of applause to the man behind the success of CTF, Darian Parker. The King of Networking, Darian put in SO much work to make this event a success and all his time and efforts really paid off. It has truly been an honor working for him and he is someone you definitely want to get to know if you don’t know him already. Thank you to all!

At 9:30pm after all the guests had left, we packed up shop, cleaned up and started out to the parking garage for our ride home. Once in my car, I felt a huge wave of triumph once again wash over me and I briefly asked myself if the 3 smoothies I drank could be contributing to my high before ruling that out. I think I fell asleep smiling last night.

Until next week, Faithful Reader, thank you again for all you are doing to better yourselves, those around you and the industry. I never ceased to be amazed with you and look forward to working with and getting to know more of you.

“If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, It is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily... but for something that tugs at your heart, something that's your inspiration, something that's your dream." –Author Unknown (but greatly appreciated!)

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." –Author Unknown (but, once again, greatly appreciated!)

Recipe For Success

2009-06-22T08:48:00.001-07:00

I want to let you in on a little secret. Although this ‘secret’ is actually nothing new, it is something that I believe many of us may let go in one ear and out the other or may not have given much thought to. Today and together, Faithful Reader, I invite you to relax while you grab a pen and paper and learn the ingredients to compose your own recipe for success.

During a meeting I had last week with the one and only Dr. Darian Parker after having the fantastic opportunity to connect with fitness professional James Wong (who owns Studio 222 here in Las Vegas) an interesting topic of conversation came up: The lost art of writing down your goals. Before you roll your eyes and throw down your pen and paper, I want for you to just hang tight and give this lost art a second thought as I believe what I have to tell you will forever change your perspective on life as you know it.

As I was saying… During my conversation with Darian, he mentioned how a while ago he happened to take some time out to jot down a list of goals he wanted to accomplish in his lifetime. Recently he revisited that list and realized that out of all the ideas, goals and aspirations he had recorded that day, all but 3 had come true already. Now don’t get me wrong. Darian isn’t someone who sat around waiting for these things to happen. Just writing stuff down doesn’t guarantee a person success overnight, or ever, for that matter. But still… why is it that we are taught and told in life to do something so simple as to list our goals and why should we spend the time to write down such ‘nonsense’?

Like Darian, I, too, make a list back when I was in college taking a course in Business Management. One of my many assignments was to make a list of everything big or small that I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. The catch was there were no limitations or boundaries as to what we could or couldn’t write, and we were encouraged to write everything from the most simple to the most outrageous and seemingly impossible aspirations. We were not to take anyone or anything else into consideration and we were to imagine what our ideal and perfect life would look like if it were up to us to decide our fate. I remember at the time I felt kind of silly even though I knew the assignment was going to be kept confidential between my professor and I admit to slight embarrassment in handing-in such an assignment as much of my list consisted of things that seemed truly unrealistic in the sense that I was maybe dreaming ‘too big’. Would my professor think I sound selfish or conceited in what I had wrote? I took a deep sign, turned it in anyways and hid the list so no one else would see it. At the time, I didn’t quite understand why exactly I felt a wave of embarrassment hit me while writing that assignment, but looking back and analyzing the situation, I now understand I was completely pushed outside my comfort zone as for the first time in my life, I was forced to strip myself down and be completely honest with myself without having the thought of how my actions would affect the people and things around me first. As I said, I hid the list… but I kept it. A few months later after graduation and after returning home after completing my externship at the Professional Fitness Institute where I earned my credential of becoming a certified personal trainer through the NSCA, I took out and revisited my list and had an ‘aha’ moment that changed me forever. I looked at my list wide-eyed, and slowly reached for a pen by my side without looking away from the piece of paper in my other hand and felt an empowering gratification as I crossed of #’s 1.) Graduate from college, 2.) Become an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, and 5.) Travel as much of the world as I can in my lifetime. Now, I know #5 couldn’t technically be checked off my list (yet…), but wasn’t coming to Las Vegas was a fantastic start to my lifelong travel goals?! Still looking over and reviewing my list, I began asking myself over and over again, “Why? Why can’t I do the other things on this list?”. “What is stopping me or holding me back?”. It was right then and there that I realized the only thing holding me back from having the life I saw as ‘ideal’ was ME.

Interestingly enough, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to research and see if there was any science to back up not just ‘goal-setting’ but actually writing down goals as it had literally transformed my life. I was so determined that I think I would have honestly made my own studies had I found none! Fortunately for you, Faithful Reader, I don’t have to give you the play-by-play on my own test participants as I found a terrific study that did the job perfectly…

During the year of 1953, a study was conducted at Yale University in regards to written goals that would span the course of 20 years. The entire graduating class of that same year was asked to report whether or not they had distinct, written goals for life after graduation. A measly 3% cited they had, indeed, made a list of future goals and aspirations versus the other 97% who hadn’t. Twenty years later, a follow-up study was made with the same students in regards to how much monetary success they had in their lives after all those years. Not surprisingly the 3% who cited to have written down their goals were, indeed, more successful than the other counterparts who hadn’t written down anything. But get this… (Warning! Stay seated and be prepared as this next part may make your jaw drop to the floor…) That same 3% of students were not only slightly more successful in their endeavors than the other 97%, but they were actually making more money than that other 97% COMBINED! Unbelievable you say? Believe it!

I think in life, we all invest so much time into wondering how our actions will affect the other people and things in our lives that we sometimes forget how healthy it is to ask ourselves what it is WE want in life. Our goals don’t always have to be extreme as some of us may only opt for a small change in life. On the other hand, some of us may be suppressing goals that would drastically change our lives for the better. Maybe we are unhappy with a certain aspect of our lives, but we haven’t taken the time to explore the ways we could improve the current situation. Speaking from experience, when seeing goals written down in front of you, they don’t seem as far-fetched as they might as mere thoughts. Let’s compare it to going to the grocery store. When you have a premade list of clear and concise choices of what you plan on purchasing, you don’t fall of track as easily and most of the time you leave with just the items you have on your list, whereas we all know that going into the grocery store without a list usually throws us off track and we end up purchasing not only what we need, but what we may not have needed as well. Writing down your goals is no different. By having them written in front of you, they are able to be a constant reminder of what needs done and which direction to keep heading in order to stay on your chosen path. And not only that, but the more you are reminded that these things are going to happen, the more the mind and psyche actually start to believe that not only are these aspirations going to happen, but that they already have. It’s just like anything else in life. When you tell yourself or have someone tell you something enough, you are able to accept it as real and you have faith that it is in existence. Having a plan in print is our means of a recipe for success. Many of the things in life we consider to be ‘far-fetched’ are actually not as out-of-reach as we propose.

Since that fateful day in business 101, I have actually accomplished almost every goal on my list and actually sat down last month to make a new list with more out of control and crazy dreams and aspirations that I plan on accomplishing in this lifetime. Nothing is impossible, and this is something else we need to tell ourselves more often. Our mind knows only what we tell it and when we fill ourselves with positivity and new perspectives, our attitudes change as well and therefore our reality as we know it changes. Give it a try if you don’t believe me and see if it can’t improve your life for the better. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain in the few minutes it takes to jot down some things that you have always wanted to do in your life. And after you write them down, feel free to email me some feedback on how it has affected you or let me know some of your own goals as I would love to hear from you (EPfitness7@gmail.com). Expand your horizons and know that life isn’t going to happen unless you make the first initiative. Doors are opening around us all the time, but until we convince ourselves of their existence, we will continue to walk right by them and never through them. Open your eyes and your mind to what is already right in front of you. It could make all the difference in not only finding and doing the things that you love, but also, it could mean all the difference in finding eternal happiness as well.

Our dreams and goals for Connect To Fitness are no different. We are making incredible strides right now in helping others find job placement and employment and we have made some awesome connections that have helped others make some checkmarks off their own written lists. We pride ourselves in always thinking big and in following through with our endeavors, no matter how ‘big’ or ‘unrealistic’ they may seem. And want to know the irony? We are constantly making lists of what we need and want to do with the organization in order to make it a success for everyone involved including You, Faithful Reader. This upcoming Sunday, June 28th from 7:30-9:30pm, we are having our monthly event at Lulu Lemon Athletica in the Fashion Show Mall on Las Vegas Boulevard and we would love it if you could come and see for yourself what we are all about and see if you can’t make a connection (or 4!) that might help you get to where you need to be. We have some spectacular things planned including free refreshments, some great prize giveaways and, of course, some surprises brought to you by Lulu Lemon. But most importantly, you will be provided with the inspiration of other professionals and aspiring professionals in the area who are driven for success in themselves and in others. Contact Dr. Darian Parker via Facebook or at DarianParker@gmail.com to RSVP. We would be absolutely delighted to see you there and having the event at Lulu Lemon is going to be an awesome spectacle that you will want to take advantage of as they have some truly remarkable things planned for the event. What do you have to lose? Just show up, even for a little while, and see if we can’t turn you into believers if you aren’t already. We are determined to help those around us and I, for one, know that I would love to meet those of you who follow me each week and who are constantly inspiring me with your stories, comments, and your own aspirations in life. Come join in the fun and connect with other like-minded people who strive for excellence as you do!

Each of us has our own individual recipe for success. Although the ingredients may differ from person to person, the result will always be the same if we put the work in to support our ideas, aspirations and goals. Start writing your own recipe and happiness and success will be greeting you from around every corner and from behind every door.

Your perception is your reality. Until next week, Faithful Reader…

“Sometimes I go about pitying myself,
And all the while I am being carried across the sky
By beautiful clouds.” –Ojibway Indian Poem

"If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." –Vincent Van Gogh

"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." –Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Choose, Don't Chance, Your Destiny

2009-06-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

You’ll have to beg my pardon, but I am going to stop you briefly in your tracks and ask you to think about where you are in this exact moment and how you ended up right here right now. Envision each event in your life leading up to right now and challenge your mind by asking yourself what you believe is the definitive determinant of your life. Did you allow fate to lead you to this moment in time, or do you believe you were, and are, in charge of your future all along?

With these events fresh in your mind, I want for you to revisit a time when you succeeded in accomplishing something you worked so hard for and invested so much time into. Maybe it was high school or college graduation. Or maybe it was the moment you could finally afford to purchase an item you spend months saving up for. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s the long-term relationship with a friend or spouse that you had spent a significant amount of time, happiness and energy fostering because it is or was meaningful and special to you. How do you feel as you imagine this accomplishment and better yet, if this event wouldn’t have happened, would you be the exact same person you are today and in this very instant in time?

Life has a way of assembling itself just so in order for us to fall on the right path at the right time to lead us to where we are supposed to be at the end of the day. The people and events that fall into our lives are strategically placed in a specific sequence to allow our future to pan out how we want it depending on what path we take in each fork in the road we are faced with. Every day we are faced with thousands upon thousands of decisions ranging from minor to major and each of them vastly important in how our day, week, year and life will resolve itself out. With billions of people populating the world, isn’t it unfathomable that not one person shares the same decision-making process? Each day we make decisions based upon the cognitive style exhibited in our anterior cingulate cortex, our orbitofrontal cortex, and of course, the overlapping ventromedial prefrontal cortex (otherwise known as the brain regions responsible for making decisions). I’m sure we all know someone who gets off on the right foot each day solely based upon what their daily horoscope says about their future. Or how about the person who can’t decide on anything until their coin lands on a specific side? Some people can’t make a decision unless someone they deem as authority tells them what to do, and some people come up with a verdict after carefully weighing the pros and cons and making the best decision based upon those principles. Bias is also another way people can come to choose one thing over the next and it can easily creep up on us without notice. Regardless of what a person’s decision-making process entails, the point of the matter is that there is always a final choice. A final decision. And this final outcome is how we progress into life and how we end up travelling down one path versus the other. Where are you headed?

Fate is a word that can be both lustrous and deceiving at once. On one hand, we can say that our lives are out of our control and we can stop right there and allow fate to handle the final ending of our story, come what may. Or we can challenge our perception by believing in the other hand, which tells us that, yes, we have a ‘fate’, or destiny if you will, but that we will in turn step up and take the responsibility for our future ourselves by making decisions that support what it is we would like our final outcome to be in this life. We can share responsibility with fate throughout the process and be more cognizant of where we are headed, what path we would like to traverse down, and what people we would like there for the ride. Everything DOES happen for a reason and it’s our job to make sure these reasons support our dreams and the future we would like to behold.

Revert your mind back to our beginning thoughts of accomplishment. Visualize how you felt at the moment you succeeded and let yourself be overcome with reliving this feeling again. That life-altering event in your life happened because you had the will and the drive to see it through to the end. It was your final decision to continue onward and persevere through any ‘challenges’ that could have made you decide to quit at any moment. Your final outcome was your decision and your action regardless of how you chose to come to that conclusion. Everything else in life is no different. Each event that we are faced with on a daily basis is there to provide us with a stepping stone that will lead us to the final outcome we foresee for ourselves. Even the people that walk into, out of, and stay in our lives are there to help guide us and teach us more about ourselves.

One of the things I have learned about myself is to never have any regrets. How many people do you or have you known who say things like, “If I could go back in time, I would have done (__fill in the blank__) differently.”, or “My life would be so much better if it were ( ___fill in the blank____).”. My advice to you: Don’t BE one of these people. Regrets do nothing but hold us back. If it were ‘meant’ to happen, then it would have. All that life is telling you is that you weren’t meant for that road at that point in time. Many people make the decision to live in the past and all this does for them is keep them in the past. You can tell yourself a million times what ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda’ happened, but there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the past. Nothing. It will and always will remain the past. What you do have say over, however, is the future. You can look at your life and turn your ‘ I coulda.., woulda…, shoulda…’, into I ‘WILL’s’. When something doesn’t work out at any given moment, it doesn’t by any means indicate that life has to stop and that you should give up. It is telling you that you weren’t preordained for that path and that another, greater path awaits you. The same goes for people. One of the most difficult things in the world for us is to lose someone, however it may happen. If there is anything in life that can be almost destructive to us, it is other people. I’m not saying this in a derogatory way, but instead I am expressing this as in the fact that we are creatures of emotion. Attachment and love are two of the most unconditional, overpowering and resilient emotions and feelings we can ever encounter and the power they possess can leave us in shambles and sometimes shatters that can take an irrevocable amount of time to recover from. And sometimes, we may not fully recover. There are many lessons to be learned from other people and loss and much we can take with us to benefit our future. Instead of letting the past immobilize us, we need to realize that life simply has better or different plans for us and that this event happened for a reason to lead us to where we are supposed to be with the people we are supposed to be with. It is easier said than done and I can speak on behalf of experiences that almost and ‘coulda’ left me vanquished as well. Sometimes it takes a breaking point before we can truly discover how strong we really are. We can keep looking down the same path and let life push us down repeatedly, or we can make the decision to get up after being broken down and keep our gaze forward knowing what we are meant for is just up in the distance waiting for us. The people and events that come into our lives are there to shape us, not define us. We can learn so many lessons from the challenges we face and the decisions we make to overcome and persevere through each day. Living with regrets only holds us back. It is never too late to take a path you want to be headed down. Don’t just settle or continue down a path you aren’t satisfied with when you can always just take the next fork in the road down a different path. It is your attitude towards life that will make or break you. Choose to be happy and choose to follow your dreams no matter where the path takes you. Without the two extremes of devastation and elation, we couldn’t possibly appreciate what it feels like to succeed, and without loss and heartache, maybe we wouldn’t be as grateful for the rare people we find in our lives who are and always will be there for us and who love us as unconditionally as we love them. It’s possible as well to more easily take things for granted when you don’t realize how great you have it through experiencing something less than desirable. Perception is reality and only when we look at things in a new light can we make the decision to advance into our future a stronger and more persistent individual. Regrets are for those who choose to choose to face the past, while fate is what we are destined for in the future and what we can decide today to strive for.

In coming to Las Vegas for my first time almost a year ago in July to do an externship at the Professional Fitness Insitute, I met my own destiny. Having been someone who was constantly looking behind me at all times, I chose last year to open my eyes wide to what was right in front of me all along and only then did the pieces of my life begin to fall into place. I haven’t looked back since and I never will again. The events of the past helped to get me to where I am today, but it is the steps I am taking now that will lead me to my destiny and future. Becoming involved with Connect To Fitness has been a dream come true for me as writing and fitness are long-time passions of mine. And I can speak from experience once again when I say that my move out here wouldn’t have been possible without networking with others in the health, fitness, and wellness industry. I am a slave to networking now as it actually made my dreams possible. Through the staff (and now my co-workers) at PFI, I was able to meet and connect with countless other people which opened up doors for me left and right. One of the people I was able to meet this past July through PFI was Connect To Fitness President, Dr. Darian Parker, who went above and beyond in finding me opportunities to connect with other people to make my move and life so far in Las Vegas a smooth transition including my current role with CTF. I stand by the fact that I am living proof that Connect To Fitness can, does and will change lives and that all it takes is making the initiative to step forward and explore your possibilities in meeting other people and being introduced to different opportunities that could possibly change your own life. Life happens to those who make it happen, not to those who let it happen. Here at CTF, we strongly believe in helping others and opening doors for those seeking their own future. We want to provide you, Faithful Reader, with opportunities that will benefit your life and the lives of those around you. Everything happens for reason and you never know what the future might behold for you unless you take a chance and see what each path has to offer. By having monthly events held at different venues in the Vegas Valley and surrounding areas, we are giving You, Reader, the opportunity to meet and connect with others that you may not have had the opportunity to connect with otherwise and you get to see firsthand what else is out there in Las Vegas. The hidden gems in Vegas are more prevalent than any of us know and the potential is unbelievable in this area. Meet with us and with others in CTF and just see what happens. It has changed many lives already of those who have become involved, and who knows? Maybe you could be next…

Our next event is coming up on June 28th from 7:30-9:30pm at the awesome Lulu Lemon Athletica store on Las Vegas Boulevard. It is not an event to be missed as there are many surprises in store for those who attend. CTF isn’t just another networking group out there to hold pointless parties at pointless venues. We want to showcase the people and places making a difference in the industry and in the world. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, we want to personally invite you, Faithful Reader, along for the ride down the path we have decided to take. Lulu Lemon is a hidden gem that is currently active in the industry and community and they have been a CTF sponsor from the beginning of our journey. Check out their link and come to the event as you won’t be disappointed. It is also where our Volunteer Coordinator, Heather Doane, is employed as well! Get in touch with Dr. Darian Parker at ConnectToFitness@gmail.com to RSVP and bring a friend or two to share the experience. You could potentially be helping someone else reach their own dreams and aspirations.

http://www.lululemon.com/

We all have a choice. The events and people you are seeking to fulfill your life are out there waiting for you and the world is yours. Get up, take action and get it… Just don’t look back unless your eyes are closed tightly.

Take control over your destiny and find the opportunity in every ‘obstacle’. Until next week, Faithful Reader…

"Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem a turned it into an opportunity." Joseph Sugarman

"Opportunity often comes in disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat. "
Napoleon Hill

"An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success."
Stephen R. Covey

Treat Every'body' With Respect

2009-06-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

In life, there is only one thing we are given that we cannot repurchase or replace. There is only one tangible thing we have that will be with us day in and day out that will be affected for better or for worse by each and every decision that we make. This one thing is a simple four-letter word that we need to learn to take care of as there is no going back if we take it for granted or neglect it. It is called our “body”.

Ponder how strange it actually is that we are given a life and soul to occupy a body in which we have no say over. We have no control over our physical attributes or abilities and we are born to spend eternity within the parameters of the identity we are born with. What exactly is it then that holds so many of us back from caring for and nurturing the body we have? What is it that holds us back?

Being a professional trainer, I am exposed to an array of different walls holding people back from attaining great health and vitality and my entire line of work depends upon what I am able to offer in regards to changing these perceptions and helping to navigate around the problem areas in other people’s lives to help make health a priority. One of the things we take for granted is that our health should not have a price-tag attached to it. Understandably so, and with the economy the way it is, some things might be tougher than others to either afford or follow through with depending on your financial and time situation. But there are a few things that just don’t add up in my own mind that I think a lot of people can relate to. I have met people (both in and out of the gym) who spend a ridiculous amount of money to buy a huge, fancy house or car, then come to me and say that a gym membership or good, quality food is ‘too expensive’ and they aren’t able to afford such investments on a consistent basis. Or people who pay a plastic surgeon thousands of dollars to fix what wasn’t broken to begin with on their body and then months down the road still end up gaining weight anyways because there was no physical maintenance afterwards. Or the person who doesn’t have time for exercise, yet they spend hours each week in front of the TV watching or playing video games. In all these examples, just a portion of the time and money invested into these endeavors could be spent revitalizing and tending to your body’s brain and physical well being.

These days, it seems to me that everyone is incredibly dependant on doctors and medications to the point of taking anything to cure a symptom or disease without even doing the research on what they are taking to begin with. What many people don’t realize is that eating healthy and exercising can actually cure most ailments without the need for medication. Medications aren’t meant to heal, but rather to conceal temporarily. That’s why if one stops taking a medication, the problem exposes itself once again. And not only that, but most medications cause more side-effects than the person had previously with whatever they were diagnosed with to begin with. Treating a symptom is not the same as discovering the underlying problem to the disease itself. The only people who truly benefit off medications are the industries that distribute them. Our bodies simply weren’t designed to consume and process chemically engineered products, whatever they may be. Our bodies were meant to move and eat quality food. They are meant to explore and see the world and our surroundings. They are meant to be enhanced through physical activity and learning new things.

Lets take one example of a common ailment that is especially prevalent in the world at this time: Depression. Many people have experienced amazing benefits from taking anti-depression medication, yet they get faced with a double-edged sword in becoming reliant on it. If they were to have their solution in a bottle taken from them, they would immediately fall back into their old state of mind. Is this ideal or does it sound a bit strange in a science-fiction type of way? I mean, think about it. Modern medicine is able to temporarily mask the symptoms of depression, but the person taking the medication is completely dependant on pills to get them through the day. The underlying problem is still intact and screaming for help beneath the surface. Fact: Did you know that when you workout, your body releases serotonin and dopamine, the same endorphins (or ‘feel good’ hormones) that are released when we are happy or elated? The SAME hormones depression medications fool our bodies into creating more of. Not to mention that the benefits of exercise are something that we, ourselves, can take credit for, which automatically gives us a feeling of accomplishment and therefore, once again, creates those feel-good hormones. It’s a cycle that enhances our well-being in the most efficient way possible. By training and doing with your body what it was naturally meant to do, you are providing it with a natural ‘remedy’ and it can very well cause your hormone levels to balance out naturally. Imagine feeling better about yourself and your life by simply taking a little time out each day to move around and prepare healthy meals. It is so important for us to take credit for any advancements and accomplishments we make in life, whether it’s something mental or physical. Doing something to better ourselves creates instant self-gratification and more self-confidence than allowing another person, thing or medication to do the job for us. Foster your body and want to make these small changes. We are allotted one body in a lifetime to take full advantage of. By being in control of our lives and emotions, we are allowing ourselves to take credit for the changes occurring within our bodies and in our life situations. This is ultimately a desired state of being for anyone who wants to live life to the fullest without any internal or external intervention. Who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of being in control of oneself?

As far as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, ect… (and the list goes on and on!), the same rules apply. Although medications can veil symptoms, they can by no means treat the underlying problem which will still be there when all is said and done. The only way to take a step in the right direction is to supplement medications with healthy lifestyle habits that you can incorporate into your life day in and day out. Don’t use the excuse, or let those around you use the excuse, that because they are on cholesterol medication they can therefore eat whatever they desire or not move around to increase their cardiovascular (aka: heart) system because the medication will ‘fix’ it for them. Folks, this is not how life works and there is no magic pill. There is just a lifelong dedication to making healthy choices for the one and only body you will ever possess. It is not a simple overnight process; rather it is a lifestyle choice that needs to be cultivated throughout life each and every day. It is a choice one makes to better oneself by committing to better health and better lifestyle habits that will span forever and will allow your body to work proficiently throughout life.

As health and fitness professionals, it is our job to stay current on educating our clients and those around us as to what the benefits are of training and eating well entail. We are here to help others create healthy habits that can last lifetimes. Frequently, by just incorporating healthy eating and exercise into a daily routine, many, many people are able to actually reverse symptoms of any disease or ailment they may have and eventually get off taking medications completely. This is because they are now treating their body with respect and giving it the nourishment and activity it needs. I could go on for days about the wonderful effects training and good eating have on the body, but those are plenty more stories for plenty more weeks to come.

One of the things we are promoting with Connect To Fitness is the opportunity for people inside and outside of the health and fitness industry to get involved in the many volunteer opportunities available to us both in Vegas and in surrounding areas such as the magnificent Boulder City. We have already established partnerships with many different organizations around town, including the American Cancer Society, that will help us to support and get the word out on fantastic causes that support issues we can all benefit from. As health and fitness professionals, it is our job to stay on top of our game and be supportive of the causes that will not only benefit us, but will benefit our clients and those close to us as well. Aren’t we in business to promote healthy lifestyles and in supporting actual research behind the diseases plaguing the world today? We want to reach out and encourage you to join hands with us during these events and to take part in supporting the issues that scourge our world today. Let us continue to help others live the best life possible in the bodies that were given to us and increase our own knowledge on the causes and diseases by attending these events. We can all spare a little time on a good cause and we have nothing to lose and everything to gain from being a proud supporter of a cause you feel strongly about. Here at Connect To Fitness, we are very open to suggestions on any upcoming events in the near or far future and we are always taking your invitations to participate together with you. Our wonderful Volunteer Coordinator, Heather Doane, is diligently working and progressing by leaps and bounds in seeking out volunteer opportunities for CTF to become involved in. She has developed great connections for those of you who are looking to become part of the volunteer community and you can feel free to get in touch with her to present your ideas or inquiries. If you have any events or know of anyone who has a great cause to support, please don’t hesitate to write or get in touch with us. We will gladly set up a meeting to sit down and discuss how we can be of assistance in these events. If you happen to have any ideas or are interested in becoming active in your volunteer community, please feel free to get in touch anytime via Facebook or email us at ConnectToFitness@gmail.com. Here at CTF, we are always open to novel ideas and innovative ways to become engaged even moreso with our community. Let Connect To Fitness be your one-stop-shop for volunteer and community events.

We have but one chance, one opportunity in life to live the finest lives we can and we owe it to ourselves to care for the one body we are given to live this life in. Life is short enough as it is and we owe it to ourselves to live it to the utmost of our abilities. If we don’t take the time to care for and nurture ourselves, who will?

In health and until next week, Faithful Reader,

"A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs.” –Joan Welsh

Live What You Love, Love What You DO

2009-06-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

“Work”… When this word is said, what does it bring to mind and how does it affect you? If you are like millions, and in fact, billions of people in this world today, you are not too fond of this word and it is something you come to dread as much as going to the dentist or speaking in front of a crowd. Sound familiar?

In a world filled with such amazing human minds, forces, talents and aspirations, I find myself eluded as to why so many people settle to spend 40+ hours per week being and doing something that makes them discontented, unsatisfied and ultimately, stressed out. I’m sure we all know people who spend each of those 40+ hours waiting for 5:00pm to roll around and only when that happens does their day get started. Maybe we are even guilty of it on occasion or consistently. But is this any way to live a life?

Try this on for size: If you were to work your designated 40 hours every week for the 52 weeks that make up a year, that would be equivalent to 2,080 hours, which is also equivalent to 87 24-hour days of your year. Incredible right? Taking it a step further, say you are one of the many people to reside at your job for 30 years. Thirty years of working 40 hours for 52 weeks each year equals 62,400 hours, which happens to be equivalent to 2,600 24-hour days, or 7.12 YEARS of your life! If you are blown away by this, you are not alone. Now just for fun, let’s take it one more step further and consider those who work 50 years of their lives before retirement. Fifty years of working 52 weeks per year at 40 hours per week equals (and you might want to sit down for this…) an unfathomable 1,040,000 hours which equals 4,333 24-hour days, or 11.87 years of your LIFE! All spent at work. So, it is safe to say that on average, most of us probably spend anywhere from a 6th to a 9th of our lives at work. Spending this much time being unsatisfied is pretty unjustifiable, and I’m sure you’d agree. So how do we go about changing our current situations for more desirable working conditions? One word: Dreams.

Each person in this world is given certain gifts or talents to behold, and each person as well possesses a passion for something that is usually put on the backburner for more the more ‘important’ things in life, such as work. Many people chose to define their passions as hobbies and most people rarely find the time to even take them up in their spare time. Considering the fact that in most cases the word ‘work’ brings to mind negative connotations and the word ‘hobby’ brings a smile to the faces of most, it's amazing how more people aren't making this connection. Envision what life would be like if everyone made the attempt to combine these two aspects of life. What if ‘work’ and ‘hobby’ could be synonymous?

A while back I came across an article that is now permanently engraved in my mind about a gentleman travelling cross-country for his job. While on the plane, the man seated next to him asked him if he was travelling for “business or pleasure?”, and the first gentleman replied, “Well, both, because my business is my pleasure.”. Now really take a moment to absorb the meaning behind this. ‘‘My business is my pleasure’’... How fantastic would it be, knowing you were spending your 40+ hours a week doing something you loved and held a deep passion for? Although I will spare you the math, if you review the above, we could ultimately be spending at least a 6th to a 9th of our lives doing something we enjoy and find deep pleasure in. There would no longer be a need to separate ourselves from our work as our work would already be a part of who we are. The eight hours we are working would be spent enhancing our knowledge and mastering our ‘hobbies’. Think about how glorious life would be if we no longer felt impelled to count down the hours until the clock strikes 5:00 and where we could be surrounded by other like-minded people who share similar goals and aspirations. We would have a certain level of control over our work situation which would lower stress levels and create a suitable work environment.

Now, I realize this isn’t an easy feat that can be overcome and accomplished overnight. If this were the case, I feel that more people would take the risk of making this decision for themselves. All that I am asking of you, Faithful Reader, is to step out of your comfort zone and into the unknown where you can take the reins of fate into your own hands. Passions and talents are characteristic of each person and create a uniqueness in everyone as no one shares the exact same ardor for the exact same endowments. Develop your forte and use it more than sparingly in your everyday life. Share it with those around you and incorporate it into each day as it is part of who you are and what separates you from those around you.

Here is a list of ways to get started today:

1) Start small. Begin by just setting aside some time each day or week for you to do something you enjoy and look forward to. It truly makes all the difference in life when we take some time out for ourselves and do something we love most.

2) Take a class or continuing education course. Ever just think to yourself that if you had ‘more time’, you would love to learn about something you have always wanted to do? Most classes start by spanning an hour or so one day a week and there are many that are offered numerous days of the week. This would be a great way to start incorporating your interests into your routine.

3) Make your hobbies a priority just like you would work. Schedule it into your routine just as you would a doctor’s appointment or any other obligation that is mandatory to attend. By holding yourself accountable for these ‘appointments’, you will soon develop a lasting ‘habit’ that will develop into a ‘routine’ with time.

4) Share your passion with someone else. Invite someone else to share the experience with you. It will be easier to maintain motivation when you are being held accountable by someone else. Plus, it’s a given that it’s a great way to build a relationship or maintain an existing one.

5) Make a ‘to-do’ list. The catch? Nothing on your list can be related to what you would ‘typically’ do in a normal day. Get creative and think of what your ideal ‘leisure time’ would consist of if you had all the time in the world and could do anything you wanted without limitations. Use this list as your guide and motive to get out there and start defying the ‘odds’. Make it a personal goal to check off as many of these objectives as possible and keep adding on and checking off as you progress.

This list should by no means be your only reference of ways to get started, but these are some of the things that have helped me most and, to be courteous, I thought I would share some of what has helped me mold into my own habits and life structure. Life has no perimeters except for those we create around ourselves. Overcome your own ‘odds’ and begin living what you love. When you live what you love, you will love what you do. This in itself is a great impetus to get started now. Don’t fall into the trap of becoming someone who is knee deep in misery due to not having enough time for You. Engage in activities that stimulate you and allow yourself to become absorbed in what brings you the most joy. It is in this way that stress will have to take a step down from being so overbearing at times. Make YOU a priority everyday.

In working with Connect To Fitness, I have been tremendously fortunate to have met so many amazing and inspiring people who are not only extremely giving towards others, but they give to themselves as well by creating that ‘work’-‘hobby’ relationship within their lives. When you surround yourself with these types of people, you can’t help but catch their infectious enthusiasm. Being in the heath, wellness, and fitness industry has really opened up my own eyes to the fact that you CAN beat the odds in your own life and that people are doing it everyday. You realize that stepping out of the comfort you have known for so long is a beneficial thing that not only challenges us both mentally and physically, but it creates happiness and great relationships with people whom you already share common interests and passions with before you even meet them. One of the things we are working hard to incorporate into Connect To Fitness is matching professionals who are seeking their fate with employers who have job descriptions that fit a certain person’s goals, personality, interests and resume. We believe in helping people find their ideal working atmosphere and in helping employers find the right employees without having to make a judgment solely based on blind speculations. We have already helped to make many career connections between employees and employers and we hope to foster the foundation we have fashioned to become a one-stop shop in making career-building reliable and easy. In networking within the health, wellness and fitness community and in getting to know people on a personal level, we believe we can give rise to a new and innovative way of harmonizing and connecting people to places that will be the best fit. Please don’t hesitate, Faithful Reader, in sending us information on what is you are looking to accomplish whether it’s finding the right job or finding the right employee. In no way do we want for you to settle for anything less than what your dreams entail and we are happy to help out in any way we can. You can send us your information at ConnectToFitness@gmail.com or find our page on Facebook entitled, ‘Las Vegas Connect To Fitness Networking Group’. If you have a dream, let us help you reach the fate you are destined for. We are involved in such a wonderful industry where the main goal is to help others reach their life goals and to manifest success in those around us.

We are given one life and one life only to live to our greatest potential. Let your passions become part of who you are and use them to positively influence the world and those around you. If you live what you love and love what you do, then will you ever truly have to ‘work’ another day of your life?

Until next week and as Jim Rohn once quoted:

“The worst days of those who enjoy what they do are better than the best days of those who don't.”

The Pursuit of Happiness

2009-05-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

“Hi! How are you doing today?” – Typical person #1

“Eh, I’m OK… how about you?” – Typical person #2

“About the same… thank you for asking and talk to you soon.” –Typical person #1

If this ‘typical’ conversation exchanged between two typical people sounds familiar to you, you aren’t the only one noticing its monotony. Each and everyday we are faced with the habitual question of “How are you doing?” and more often than not, we hear the same recurring answers of “Eh… Ok.”, “I’m doing alright.”, “I’ve been better.” and, well, you catch my drift. Have you ever looked outside the box and wondered why it is that people aren’t more open to expressing their happiness or conveying how wonderful their life is? If ‘ignorance is bliss’ (as they say), then why aren’t more people happy?

Happiness is something we all strive for each and every day and it’s something that impels us to move forward and sometimes back. Many of us find happiness in the simple things in life, some people in the bigger picture while others seem to never find it. Take a moment, close your eyes and imagine what it would take for you to reach eternal happiness. Would it take a change of career? Or maybe relocation to another area? More money? Less debt? What about a vacation? Weight loss or gain? Visualize these changes being made and ask yourself what it would take to reach this optimal state of happiness. Are you on your way?

Inner happiness is created by surrounding yourself with the people and things that support your dreams and aspirations. It also radiates from accepting what you have and who you are and not focusing on what you don’t have and who you are not. We are given but one life to live as the person we are. Although we cannot make ourselves grow seven inches or change our past, we are given the incredible gift of being in charge of our destiny, our future and who we want to become regardless of our current or past circumstances. Happiness lies in our attitude toward life. We unfortunately can’t control everything and everyone around us and we shouldn’t try to. We needn’t search for happiness any farther than our own backyard. Although it may do a fair job in eluding us at first, we can always find it if we take the time to remove the brush the wind so passively blew over it.

In life, we are given choices each and every day. We are faced with thousands of decisions that will ultimately determine our fate and our outcome in life. It’s our attitude towards these decisions that can either create happiness or destroy the word itself. Part of our job as health, wellness and fitness professionals is to help our clients dig deep within themselves to find what it is that makes them happy. If we aren’t happy and satisfied with ‘Us, how are we supposed to make others happy for a living? In order to be effective and efficient in helping others reach their optimal lifestyle, we have to take the journey ourselves and create happiness within Us first.

Happiness stems not from what you have, but from what you do and by how you choose to perceive your life. I want for you to picture your life in a perfect and ideal state. What are you imagining and how would a perfect day look for you? What we fail to sometimes realize is that all the people, places and opportunities in the world cannot and will not make us truly happy if we aren’t ‘at one’ with ourselves. We spend so much time worrying about what we don’t have and what we have lost, but what we need to instead focus on is the one thing that no one and nothing can take away from us: Our dreams.

Think about this for a moment… Nothing in life is 100% guaranteed and because of this fact, many choose not to take the leap of faith into the unknown to chance finding happiness. As humans, our natural tendency is to reside where we are safe, secure and comfortable in our living environment. By following a possibility or a dream, we are stepping out of our comfort zone and into a realm of uncertainty that may or may not take us to our destination right away. What we should be doing, however, is not settling for any less than what we deserve; and that is to be happy. Do you not live each day for your dreams and for the positive aspects of life that drive you to push on even in the hardest of times? Do you not dream each day of the things you want to accomplish and of your perfect destiny? You see, it isn’t always the here and now that propels us to rise up one more time after being pushed down many. It’s not the here and now that pushes us to survive and make good choices for ourselves, family and friends. It is thoughts of the future and the possible consequences of each action we take now that give us the strength to stand tall. It is our dreams, our possibilities, our ‘what ifs’ that drive us forward. Realize right now, Faithful Reader, that life can take away anything and anyone it wants to, but it can’t take away your dreams. Your dreams are the one thing that can’t be touched by anyone but you. It is our one guarantee in life, our ONE safety net that we can depend on no matter what else may happen in life. By envisioning our dreams and living for them, we will never encounter a point in life where we have ‘nothing’. We have but only one, single life to live and it is shorter than we think. You see, while we continue to live ‘safely’, we are choosing to ignore the open doors all around us that are left wide open for a reason and we are also allowing our dreams to be set on hold.

Where you are, who you surround yourself with, and what you do all play a role in your future. Positive people and situations can make all the difference in what not only today brings, but what tomorrow has in store. Positive people create chain reactions that spread like fire. By surrounding ourselves with the people who support what our dreams entail and if we are constantly following a direct path to what makes us happy, then we are constantly paving the road to greatness regardless of what may ensue around us. Then and only then can we be ‘at one’ with ourselves and truly be complete. People, places and things are but compliments to any human body. It is the heart, soul, and mind that are central to our emotional state and being more cognizant of this fact will only benefit us.

You have the choice to decide who and what you want along for your life journey. We are in charge of our destiny and we deserve to be happy because life is short already as it is. Picture your life once again as it is and now picture your ideal life. Close your eyes and feel how your emotional changes. See in your mind’s eye a parameter around your life. See a periphery that can’t be crossed by anyone or anything without your permission. The only other thing lying within your parameter are your dreams and the only way you will let anyone into your circle is by invitation only based on how it will complement You and your ideal life. Each person you invite should help provide the backbone for what you desire and for what makes you happy. You run the publisher of your life and you write each page day in and day out. When all is said and done, will you be proud to be the author? Will the book subsist as complete or will pages be missing?

In my own true life story, the difference between my real and ideal state was the difference between night and day. It can take time to establish the parameters and to send out the right invitations, but it is not at the expense of anything not worth-while. You will only benefit yourself and those around you by striving for happiness. Connect To Fitness is working hard to provide a backbone to health, wellness and fitness professionals or aspiring professionals by providing constant support and dedication to helping others reach their dreams and potential. We stand for connecting individuals together to help bind these parameters and dreams together to make everlasting change throughout the industry, the people who seek our help and guidance, and, in turn, the world. We are sending out our own invitations and extending our hand to those people and businesses who are taking their work and career to the next level by striving to create happiness within themselves and those around them by creating and living their dreams. Surround yourself with the people who can make your vision possible and let us help you make those connections. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

We will be having our newsletter up and running shortly that will feature what is new, current and up-and-coming in both the health and wellness industry in general as well as within Connect To Fitness. There will also be a feature for professionals who would like to share their goals with others by being interviewed and published. We are interested in hearing your thoughts and recommendations, Faithful Reader, so we can get the word out on those who are committed to making a difference in this industry.

Currently, we are also looking to meet and schedule sit-down meetings with You all to foster and develop lasting relationships, ascertain what you are all about and to understand how we can help each other. Each person has a unique story and it is our passion to hear your stories and to be a part of what you decide to write on your pages. Start looking forward to that and if we don’t already have your email information, please send it to ConnectToFitness@gmail.com so we can contact you! We look forward to branching out and becoming more involved with the people who are making our vision of Connect To Fitness a reality. Your support has been unbelievable and we appreciate those who are involved in our journey.

This past week, I had the honor of travelling to the beautiful Boulder City with Dr. Darian Parker to meet with Marcie Gibson, who runs the fitness, volunteer, and community show in this small town. She gave us an unforgettable experience that left us in awe of not only her dedication to helping others, but of the potential in Boulder City. Each street we walked down and each facility or establishment we walked into, Marcie greeted everyone by name and the faces of everyone she came in contact with just lit up. It is obvious she is making great strides in influencing those around her and in making the world a better place. This city is absolutely breathtaking and it feels like a home away from home. From visiting Lake Mead to the Hoover Dam to everywhere in-between, this is truly a historic and gorgeous city that is worth taking the time out to travel to. Connect To Fitness will be working closely with Marcie to build relationships between the Vegas and Boulder City areas. There will be many great health and fitness related volunteer opportunities in the future as well as events to behold. I fell in love with this city and would highly, highly recommend seeing it for yourself if you haven’t already. It will fill you with a sense of happiness and it is such a close getaway from the sometimes fast-life we live here in Vegas. Take advantage of visiting Boulder City when you get some time.

Don’t wait any longer to pursue what will make your dreams a reality. When people approach you and ask you how you are doing, tell them you are doing ‘Great!’ as this positive reaction will not only have a positive effect on you, but it will rub off and effect those around you. These people will in turn rub off on those around them and you will have started a positive chain reaction. It is never too early or too late to start chasing what it is that makes you feel happy and in this short life, we deserve no less than to feel this way on a constant basis. Become what you believe in and live it with every breath you take and with every ounce of your heart and soul. It is only then that you will be complete and it is only then that you will make a maximum and lasting imprint on those around you. We are in an industry based around helping others, but remember that we need to be able to help ourselves first. We become true role-models when we live our philosophies and when we walk our talk. Live for your dreams and push on each day to reach happiness for it will guide you to your dreams. Devote time each day for You and for what is going to most benefit you. You are worth every second invested and you are allowed to be selfish with your life for it is irreplaceable. Live your ‘perfect’ day. Every day.

The past is just that: the past. It is the future that holds your destiny. Don’t lose sight of your dreams; chase them. Don’t fear parameters, make them. And if you don’t mind me asking, “How are you doing today?”